Chores can be part of your vision for your kids’ childhood.
There. I said it.
Amidst the ideal-cuddle-life…
(What was your dream for your child? What did you want his or her life to be like? Which family adventures did you go on, books did they read, after-school rituals did you two enjoy?)
…You get to choose who you want them to be. How you’re going to train them.
(Do you want kitchen whizzes, or coders extraordinaire?)
And that means chores are included.
So here’s how to go about this.
First things first, we need to figure out what your particular family values most.
Sure, there are a ton of useful character traits your kids could have.
But what are the top three – maybe top five – that you’re going to major on?
(Cue journaling time with your favorite pen. Or even your notes app.)
Chores can be part of your vision for your kids’ childhood.
Now, once you’ve got an idea what your household character values are, let’s plug them into the practical nitty-gritty of life.
Which character traits have something to do with chores, responsibility, or your kids’ attitude toward work?
List those out here. (More journaling time for you!)
For example, here’s a peek at what I’ve got at the top of my family’s list.
- I want kids who choose to help out (whether or not that was their particular chore). I.e., they lend a hand when they see someone else needs help.
- I want excellence/responsibility/initiative in their task completion – not lazy, half-assed jobs at bathroom cleaning or bread making. (Can you even imagine? Why are we eating bricks again for lunch?)
- And I want kids who know how to take a break when they’re low energy, or how to push through really quickly to get to the finish line (and how to know the difference).
Take some time today to craft a values-friendly, chores-doing mission statement – it’ll keep you going when the whining gets to be too much.
‘Cause trust me, I’ve got 5 kids, and you can imagine the whining that comes with that when someone’s in a bad mood about their Saturday chore-cleaning tasks.
But that also means I’ve developed strategies to get my kids through those responsibility mood swings, and to the finish line of checked-off chores.
From preschool to the teen years, I’ve got the chore delegation hacks you need to make a successful go at this work-from-home #momlife. And I want to share them all with you.
So what about you?
Chores, tasks, family responsibilities – what’s top of your values ladder?
And how are you going to get your precious little ones there?
Your homework for today is to write that value-centered, chore-applicable mission statement for your household.
And then start applying that to your day-to-day life by delegating the kid-capable chores on your plate.
What do you say – ready to watch your chore load start melting?
It’s just one journaling exercise away.
So grab your pen and paper, and let’s get going.
