Child Labor

I've had several people ask me what chores I do with my children, so here it is, the list of torture.
If this is used to file a report against me, go right ahead, the DHS already has a file for me...you might recall "NyQuil."
I will continue to make my children work because I believe it's important.

Rule 1: I don't pay them. They live in the house and are expected to do their share. However, there was the one time when I was too lazy to vacuum downstairs and paid Liam $1.50 to do it for me...that might be child labor.

Rule 2: I'm pretty particular in how things are done, especially laundry. I'm a laundry Nazi. I cried once when Jarom said he did some laundry for me. Should I be embarrassed by that? I'm not. Do I need therapy? Possibly. ANYWAY, to the point. Most women probably do have their picky things when it comes to their home and can understand. Unfortunately, the attitude is usually "I can do it faster." or "I'd rather just do it myself." Both true but what did my boys get from that? Nada. I introduce them to a chore and teach them the way I like it done. I convince them there is no "other way." Now there are four laundry Nazis. Jarom is still not permitted to do the laundry.

Rule 3: I work with them. I rarely leave them on their own to do the task and I have a "double check" policy. I let them do things on their own and then when they are finished we do a double check. This is a "secret" way of making sure something is clean. I have found to just go and do it over later by myself is a little damaging to the ego, but when we double check it together we talk about the things missed, what was wrong or to congratulate them for doing a good job. Tipton is an awesome bathroom cleaner and great working buddy.

Rule 4: I don't do all the chores in one day. One, because some that would be impossible but mainly I just try to keep one "cleaning" chore per day. For my kids, this keeps it from being overbearing. So, each day is designated to a certain cleaning day. Monday-laundry, Tuesday-vacuum/errands, Wednesday-bathrooms (most of the time), Thursday-dusting, Friday-downstairs floors/tidy up.

Rule 5: Don't be afraid or give up. It takes time to teach them some skills. I try to let my kids know that I have confidence in them and believe that they are capable. Yes, I actually let my children hold knives when helping me in the kitchen we've only sliced a few fingers, stir on the stove, use the microwave, clean the toilet, brush their own teeth, etc. Even Hyrum as a 2 year old is very capable of a lot of things around the house and no, I don't let him use the knives or clean the toilet YET.

That pretty much sums up my methods of chores. Each year I have to make a few adjustments with their ages, school, and activities but still no exemptions.

The pictures aren't great but this is our new list for the new year. Each chart done in their favorite color and made so they can understand it (Liam can read, Tipton's learning, Hyrum sticks just to pictures). Some chores don't seem like real chores but if it's part of the routine I put it on their list. It never hurts to have a reminder.

Well, I hope this helps those that were asking what I do for chores. Remember work isn't sooo bad. It gives me a chance to talk to my boys, sing songs with them and learn about them. If you want details....uhm, well, I guess I could do that.