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The ABC’s of Training Kids to Do Chores

Ask your child to do a chore you are sure they won’t do. The road to wisdom is paved with mistakes…and their consequences. That’s why we pick a chore that our child will likely forget about or refuse to do.
Don’t say, “Do it now!” Instead, give them a reasonable deadline. “Just have the living room dusted by bedtime.”
This deadline buys us time to figure out what we will do if our child either refuses or forgets to do the chore.
Bite your tongue. If we remind our kids to do their chores, we train them to need reminding. That’s why it’s so important to keep our mouths shut as we watch them blow it.

Many parents find it helpful to pray for mistakes. Yes! When we do this, it helps us remember that the “price tag” of poor decisions goes up every day. It’s far better for our kids to learn from mistakes when they are young…while the cost of such mistakes is still small. Consequences preceded by empathy will do the teaching. Many parents find it effective to simply do the chore for their child…AND then provide a consequence wrapped in a loving blanket of empathy:

• “This is so sad. I would love to take you to your friend’s house…but I spent all of my driving time doing your chores.”
• “Oh, no. This is such a bummer. I had to do your chores for you. How are you planning to pay me for my time?”

With extremely defiant youngsters, it’s often helpful to hire an older neighbor kid or a professional to do the chore:

• “This is never good. Oh, man. Since I love you too much to fight with you, I hired a housecleaner to do your chores. She left a bill for you. Do you have the cash to pay her, or will you need to sell some of your things?”

(Excerpts taken from: Love and Logic by Jim Fay) Let’s purposefully train our children with the love of God.
I am praying for you! Love, Mrs. Huntsman