MOSAIC MOMENTS

Teaching your child responsibility is one of the most important things a parent can do for their child. Not only does this help their self-esteem, but it also prepares them for the adult world and what will be expected of them when they are on their own.

The main goal of a parent is to raise their children to be responsible, independent, adults.

With summer here, and no sports or homework to get in the way, I decided that it is high time for my youngest son, Garrett (age 12) to really take on some of the important chores around the house. Tim has always been a huge help to me, but it isn’t very fair to him to take on most of the work.

So, I made a “Chore Chart”.

Before I began, I listed out all the chores that needed to be done on a daily and weekly schedule. Then, I made a spreadsheet with both Tim and Garrett’s name on it.Then, I let the boys divide the work between themselves. This allowed them to make choices of what they were doing. I did let them know that some things could not be divided, such as “clean your room” or, in Garrett’s case “clean dog pen and feed dog” (it is his dog, Tim doesn’t even like the dog! lol)

I made a deal with the boys that I would give them $5 each per week for the chores they did. Of course, they immediately said that $5 was not near enough, so I told them that I would happily give them another choice….

Five dollars a week for chores or you could continue to do them for free!

It was unanimously agreed that receiving $5 a week would be a wonderful idea and Garrett, the mathematician, began calculating how much money he could have by the time the summer was over!

Then, I gave them the “Stipulation Clause”Each time I have to say any of the following:

“Do your chores”
“Have you done your chores”
“This is not done properly” (I am a stickler for cleanliness)

 I will take .25 cents off of their allowance.

Oooo Mom is harsh!

Garrett, the negotiator, asked if on the days they mowed the lawn could they get an ice cream at Dairy Queen afterwards. He even said that he would understand the expense of it, and would settle for a chocolate covered cone instead of the more expensive Blizzards they sell. I agreed that this would be a great idea because then he would have something to look forward to after a hot day of lawn mowing.

I am happy to say that this past week things have been going pretty well! Tim is waking up BEFORE LUNCH TIME to get his chores out of the way, so he can do other things. Garrett actually told a friend on the phone the other day that he couldn’t play until he got his chores done! And, he is actually the envy of his friends because he is getting an Allowance!

My boys have always had chores and responsibilities from the time they were very young. My rule was, “If you are old enough to take it out and play with it, you are old enough to put it back where it belongs.” Children are never too young to learn responsibility and it is a very important duty as a parent to teach children this important part of growing up! They may complain now, but when they are grown they will thank you for teaching them this!

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