They Grow Up Fast Around Here

It might look like she is just playing with her doll but she is really undergoing vigorous training to help with our new baby when it's born in May. See how she's supporting the baby's head while she holds it? Thanks to her big sister she also knows how to change its diaper and not to poke her fingers in its eyes.

What chores do my kids do around the house you ask? All of them.

I was talking to my friend at the gym tonight about how my schedule is going to change when this new baby comes. I'm not going to be staying up late and sleeping in any more. I'll be going to bed and getting up with the baby. She joked about how my kids would have to start putting themselves to bed and I said, "Probably."

She said, "I don't know how you do it when your husband is gone so much. It's not like your kids can just take care of themselves while you're taking care of a new baby."

"Yes, they can. They had to take care of all of us when I was sick with this pregnancy," I replied.

She sounded doubtful, "My 19 and 20 year olds can't even take care of themselves!"

But it's true. There are very few things that my ten and eight year old can't do for themselves. My son even knows how to change the furnace filter!

The only thing I can think of right now that I have never let them do is drain a boiling pot of pasta but my son is strong enough to do it so I think I'm going to let him start. I don't let my eight year old daughter get heavy things out of the oven but if it's something light like a pan of cookies then she does it herself. They have been cutting with knives and working in the kitchen independently since they were six. In fact my two year old is starting to learn how to use knives. We hold the knife together to chop vegetables because I'm not allowed to do anything in the kitchen without her help.

Maybe we are weird parents but our kids are eager to learn and we feel like it's our job to teach them to be capable and responsible adults. What's the right age for them to start learning? How about when they're born? You don't wait till a baby is one before you start teaching them to talk. You talk to them the minute they're born. I also don't think there is an age when kids should start helping around the house. Well, I guess you could wait till they can walk before you have them mowing the lawn but whatever.

Basically here is my rule for working around the house. "If momma's working, everyone's working." That's it. And we work every day. I never ever ever clean after my kids go to bed. There are no cleaning fairies at our house. We always work together.

We spent two hours cleaning the house last night and another two hours this morning because we had company coming over for lunch. My kids worked right along side me the whole time. In fact at one point my son proudly informed me that I didn't even have to tell him what to do because he looked around and saw what needed to be done himself and then did it. It was true!

My two year old followed us around from room to room. We gave her little errands to run like getting the vacuum and putting things in the correct rooms. We all had a great time (not always the case by the way) and my son declared when we were done, "Maybe we shouldn't have made the house so clean because your friend might feel bad that her house isn't as clean as ours."

I assured him that there was NO danger of that!!! But I'm happy that he's proud of the work he does.

My ten year old son is in charge of

• Rinsing, washing and putting away the dishes every day
• Washing, hanging and putting away his own laundry
• Buckling the two year old in the car
• Loading groceries into the car
• Vacuuming the van
• Getting the stroller in and out of the car
• Shoveling the sidewalks (a big job this winter!)
• Carrying heavy things for me and any other duty that makes him feel manly

My eight year old daughter is in charge of

• Picking up and putting away anything in the house that's out of place every day
• Clearing the table, putting the food away and wiping the counters after meals
• Putting the laundry away
• Helping me clean the bathrooms
• Organizing projects with me or on her own
• Taking her sister potty
• Putting the grocery cart away

My two older kids are both in charge of

• Keeping their rooms clean and picking up after themselves
• Keeping the van cleaned out
• Feeding the animals
• Bringing in groceries and putting them away
• Cooking meals by themselves and with the family
• Vacuuming is my job but they help me with it when I ask them to
• This summer they will start helping with yard work because we haven't had a yard for the last two years.
• Anything else their father and I ask them to do, whenever we ask them to do it

My two year old (three on Thursday) is in charge of

• Making her bed
• Getting herself dressed
• Putting her dirty clothes in the hamper
• Hanging her towel up
• Hanging up her coat and putting her shoes away
• Helping her sister put her clothes away
• Picking up her toys and books
• Washing her own hair
• Brushing and flossing her teeth (I let her do it herself in the morning and we take turns at night)
• Bringing in groceries
• Passing out the scriptures and putting them away when it's reading time
• Helping me do laundry and cook meals and basically making everything I do more difficult and more fun!

After two years of teaching my kids they have turned out to be hard workers. The road has been a little rough because I didn't seriously start training them to work until they were 6 and 8 and by that time they were pretty set in their slovenly ways. Things will be easier with my two year old because she doesn't know anything different.

I just want to add that there is a huge difference in kids when they turn eight. I think that is the magic age for them to work independently and take responsibility for doing a good job. Before that they need a lot of supervision and it's best if you can work together or at least in the same room because they get distracted easily. My daughter turned eight last month and it's like she has changed overnight. She is making her bed now without me reminding her and she has surprised me in all sorts of other ways.

If you are just starting out teaching your kids to help around the house my advice is to start slow, work together and don't give up.

Teach Your Kids to Work