Why should a child have household chores

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

A child's responsibilities around the house are not just a whim of the parents. This is a way to teach your child to be responsible and take care of other people. You will learn why it is important for your child to have a list of chores around the house, and how to motivate your child to do household chores, you will learn from this article.

Every parent wants their child to be a successful person. Many send their children to music schools, sports clubs, create all the conditions for their child to develop comprehensively. But some moms and dads protect their children from housework. Perhaps they think that this is not so important, or maybe they do not want to argue with a child who flatly refuses to wash the dishes or clean the room.

Today we will talk about why it is very important for a child to do housework.

In a study conducted by Braun Research last fall, 1,001 people were interviewed (only the adult population was included in the sample). The results of the survey were as follows: 82% of respondents noted that they regularly did housework as a child, and only 28% of people reported that their own children have household chores.

Parents today want their children to spend time doing things that will help them succeed in the future. But ironically, many parents have stopped making their children the responsibility of housework, although its benefits have been proven time and again.

Richard Rand psychologist

Decades of research have shown that having a to-do list for household chores is beneficial for kids' learning, mental health, and future careers.

According to research by Marty Rossman, professor emeritus at the University of Minnesota, if you teach your child to do housework from an early age, he will feel independent, responsible and confident.

The essence of the study is as follows: 84 children were selected, the study was conducted over three periods of the lives of these people. The first study was conducted at preschool age, the second when children were 10–15 years old, and the third when they were 20–25 years old. The results of the study showed that children who started doing household chores at the age of three to four developed warmer relationships with family and friends, and were more successful at school and university. They also began to move up the career ladder much faster than those who did not have household responsibilities and those who did not have household responsibilities until adolescence.

Household responsibilities teach children to be empathetic, responsive and caring for others, says Richard Weisboard, a psychologist at Harvard Business School. In the process, the results of which were published last year, he and his team surveyed 10,000 schoolchildren and students. The children needed to determine which of the following they value more: achievement, happiness, or caring for others.

Nearly 80% of respondents preferred achievement and happiness over caring for others. However, the results of the study also showed that people are more likely to associate with happiness not great achievements, but strong and trusting relationships with other people. Richard Weisbord believes that today there is an imbalance of values and the best way to get back on track is to teach children kindness from childhood, as well as to form their responsibility and desire to help others, imputing to them responsibilities at home.

The next time your child refuses to do household chores on the pretext that he needs to do his homework, resist the temptation to agree to the child's persuasion and free him from housework. When school assignments compete with household chores and you choose the former, you send your child the following message: grades and personal achievement are more important than caring for others. It may seem irrelevant to you now, but over time you will realize that this behavior was wrong.

Madeleine Levine psychologist, author of Teach Your Children Right

Here are some tips to help you motivate your kids to do housework:

Watch what you say. Last year, it was found that if you thank your child for being a good helper, and not just say “thank you for your help,” his desire to do housework will increase significantly. Thus, you increase the child's self-esteem, he feels like a person who is useful and important to others.

Schedule chores around the house. Include chores in your child's schedule along with music or exercise. So your child will be able to plan his time and get used to order.

Make it a game. All kids love games. Make household chores a game, think of different levels of chores that your child needs to accomplish. For example, to begin with, he can lay out things, and after a while he will receive the right to use the washing machine.

Don't give your child money for helping you around the house. Psychologists believe that a monetary reward can lead to a decrease in the child's motivation, since the altruistic impulse in this case turns into a business deal.

Remember, the nature of the chores matters. If you do not want to raise an egoist, then the chores you give your child around the house should be such that they benefit the whole family. Correct: "You need to dust off the living room and wash the dishes after dinner." Incorrect: "Clean up your room and wash your socks."

Forget the phrase “do housework”. Remember, you don't have to order. Instead of saying, "Do the housework," say, "Let's get our housework done." Thus, you will emphasize that household chores are not only a routine duty, but also a way to take care of all family members.

Don't associate housework with negativity. Housework should not be used as a punishment for wrongdoing. When discussing household chores with your child, including those you do yourself, try to talk about them in a positive or at least neutral way. If you constantly complain that you have to wash the dishes, believe me, the child will follow your example and will also begin to grumble.