I have had it!!! I have an 8 yr old and a 13 yr old that need day to day responsibility. Of course I tell them things to do every day and they EVENTUALLY do it but not I have it on paper and I have laid out the ground rules. I am tired of them thinking I am their maid. I am not going to pick up their trash they leave laying around or their clothes anymore! It seems the more I do the more they drag their feet when I tell them to do something oh and they use that whine to go with it.

I've started a chart of things they are to do. My DD questioned me why the furniture would have to be dusted everyday and she doesn't think it is necessary to make her bed either I don't think they like having to pick up the sticks and all trash that may flow into our yard every Tuesday either.

I have them alternating emptying the trash in the bathroom daily too.

I don't think I am asking that much of them. I told them if they moan and groan about doing any of this through the week then I will make them do chores on the weekend but if they do what they are suppose to they can have the weekend off. I also told them the more they gripe the more I will add to their work.

Am I being mean? I seriously just want them to be responsible and I shouldn't have to tell them EVER thing they should be doing, especially the oldest. I have had my hands full with her lately and I am tired of her teenage attitude already.

My kids are good kids but they have this thing that just bugs me like no other!!

What do your kids do?

My mom was smart ... if it was our day to do the dishes (my brother and I took turns), we got to choose the television shows that we watched. The TV didn't get turned on until chores were done; we did them as soon as we got home from school. This was not until about my Sophomore/Junior year of high school -- my brother was one year ahead of me. Television was very motivating for us though as we did not have one until high school.

As a parent, we do things slightly differently. Our kids are reasonably neat... but they are kids after all. We dust, vacuum, pick up dog poo, and clean toilets and bathrooms once a week (usually Saturday, unless company is coming, heh)... empty bathroom trash on garbage day. We split the chores out evenly... Whoever happens to be in the kitchen when the garbage is full, takes it out to the dumpster. My kids take turns unloading and putting away the dishes from the dishwasher.

I try not to complain about how well any of the chores are done by the kids or my DH. I am very appreciative when they do anything. DH did the laundry today without me asking him to! He does it differently, doesn't separate darks and lights -- does separate whites. It is so sweet that I keep quiet... and NOT a soul will know any differently from me doing them. Nothing turned pink!

When I PMS, I get pretty OCD and wonder why the house is so messy, dirty, etc. but that passes within 24 hours. LOL.

As I said in another post, I have one of those rolling bin drawer things. Each one has someone's name on it. If I find something of theirs around the house, I put it in the drawer. That saves me from running all around putting stuff away. On Sunday they get to putting it away, because come Sunday night, the stuff becomes mine, and I can do with it what ever I want.

My kids have miscellaneous chores - in fact, we're getting ready to sit down and revamp their list for Summer. DS doesn't think he should do anything. I know when they get out on their own their understand why we all have to pull our weight, but, it can be SOOOO frustrating at times.

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Doing the right thing isn't always the same as doing the easy thing.

My DS is 10yrs old, and he complains about the little things he is given to do, like help DH with trash on trash day, put away clean clothes (usually ends up on desk), set dinner table, empty dishwasher, pick up after himself. I ask for him to do little things here and there, but all I ever get is an attitude about it or "I will do it in a minute" (hours in kid time).
It is hard to get help with house chores. DH grew up doing nothing, MIL did everything for him. I do not want DS to grow up thinking that I am the MAID!

For my DS
Daily - Take out the trash and empty the dishwasher
Weekly - Clean the bathroom and do his laundry

Starting August, when he goes to college I take on the emptying the dishwasher and hubby, the trash.
Odds are, I'll start doing his laundry just to get him to come home once in a while

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Mary

mine do nothing i try but does not work i have even offered them 10.00 a week if they keep there room clean and help with things i need done as they come along and there all in to it then come the 2 or 3 day there over it and dont want to do it any more

I must be the meaniest mom. My kids don't have a choice if they do chores. Each of them have to have their beds made, rooms picked up and dog chores each morning before they go to school. Then when they come home at night, if there is something that needs to be done, I just ask they do it (they don't like to all the time). We don't do allowance but when they want something we usually help them out with the cost. My famous saying is "It's not a choice".

mine are in charge of picking up their rooms and keeping their bathroom clean. Each child has a *currency*...something important to them. For poster above, TV was the motivator. For others, it might be a cell phone, video game time, computer time, playing outside, etc. Find your child's *currency* and use that as a motivator. Set basic chores and stick to your guns. A child who MUST have their cell phone is more apt to do their chores if they don't get it back until they are done. A child who wants to play Wii but can't until the trash is out is more inclined to take 5 min to take the trash out...at least it's worked for us. My kids do other things without being asked as well. Taking care of our home is a family responsibility, not just mine. I don't get to do my fun stuff (ie: my currency) until my chores are done so why should they? As they get older, I plan to have each of them plan a dinner once a week and prepare it. My nearly 9 year old DS already does this in the summer but in a year or so, it will be a year-round thing.

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Proud to say I haven't shopped at a Wal-Mart since Sept 2003

My five year old brings down all dirty laundry daily (from everyones rooms and towels as needed). He feeds teh dogs twice a day. He sets the table. He cleans the toy room daily. He must also bring up his clean / folded laundry and put it away.

My two year old helps her brother set the table. She clears the table, with the exception everyones plates, as each is responsible for their own plate. She vaccumes the kitchen floor as needed, with help. She is in charge of picking up the toys inthe family room each night.

The one year old doesn't have chores.

The DSD who is 16 cooks one meal a week, which she must plan and buy (with our money of course). She vaccumes all carpeting in the house once a week. She also does dishes and trash daily.

We are starting to look at what we are going to do with summer, as the kids have camps and things as well as a manditory one hour study period with assigned work.

Oh yeah - everyone (even one year old) cleans their room daily and makes bed...that is not a chore - that is a resposibility you get when you have a room. "clean" means, bed made, nothing under the bed, nothing on the floor. (And, I do hold myself to the standards I ask of them!)

Reading this I cound mean - but my kids do it, they do it without me asking and without complaining. If they came up with something they don't like we have altered things (DSD used to do doggy patrol in the backyard - she asked if I would swap vaccuming, it was a win win so we made the change).

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saraedawson@yahoo.com

Mommy to Jake, Alexis, Abigail and Joshua, Wife to Matt

Our kids have chore charts. We have a 4 1/2yo, 10yo & 13yo. They've had chores and charts for years. I'm sure the older two will be really happy when the youngest is old enough to get in the rotation of dishes and cleaning the bathroom. LOL

They each have a list posted in their room with their assigned chores each day. The oldest has a couple more chores than the younger two (mopping our front entry way and wiping down kitchen appliances) and, at this point, the youngest only has one chore each day. He loves doing his chores. LOL
The older two switch off on setting the table and cleaning/clearing the table for dinner, emptying & loading the dishwasher, cleaning their bathroom, straightening the living room & family room and dusting. They also have things they do once a week - all their own laundry, cleaning their rooms (hey, if you keep it straightened up it shouldn't take long), cleaning their sink/vanity area (the older one has her own attached to her room) and cleaning the bathroom. They also make their own lunches for school unless they have extra money and they want to buy lunch.

It sounds like a lot but it doesn't take them very long at all to get them done. During the summer we usually add on a little bit more (unless they have an activity that takes all day like camp) like some vacuming.

They don't really like any of it. LOL But they do it...and they know they aren't doing anything else until it's done. Our 13yo (my stepdaughter) has a cell phone her grandmother gave her. It has to sit out on the mantel during chores & homework on silent...can't have it until you're done. Yesterday the 10yo insisted she wasn't going to clean her room...I told her okay, but she wasn't doing anything else until it was done, including having her radio on...she got it done pretty quick after that.

I don't think it always matters exactly what you have them do. One thing I think they need to learn is that you just do what you're told, even if you think it's dumb (like dusting the furniture). You'll run into the same thing when you're grown and have a job and your boss wants you to do something you think is useless.

peapie