I am not a sports fan.
(Although, the above photo is one I took while watching a Yankees/Red Sox Game at Yankee Stadium.)
We are not a sporting family. However, we are always telling our children to be "team players." I am always using my limited knowledge of basketball or baseball to explain that one player could not win the game.
I use this in relation, to me.I can't accomplish everything alone. Picking up, cleaning, straightening, folding, dusting, vacuming, washing, wiping, changing, sweeping, emptying, loading, organizing, hanging, dressing, watering, pulling, etc.
Contrary, to my children's opinions, my children do not have too much to do each day. Their tasks and chores are really quite simple and few. But, as I look around at all I have to do I wonder...
Should they do more, or is such the life of a mother?
I am trying to find the healthy balance between teaching my children to work and realizing like it or not, I am the mom and SHOULD have a lot to do.
Advice please, from all?
9 comments:
I wonder the same thing....so I am not the best person to give it! So, I am gonna look back n a few days and get ideas from your friends....haha....I am a user! Sorry!!!
My advice, let me know when you figure it out!
My kids used to have more daily jobs, but I found myself yelling all the time at them to get their jobs done. They had to be constantly reminded and it made my life hell. Now they have 1-2 jobs to do each day and and an extra one on Saturday and they can easily remember them. Also, I used to have a rotating wheel that got turned everyday to tell the kids what their job was. They argued constantly about how one thought the wheel had already been turned that day and one didn't and they did the wrong job for they day. I changed the schedule so that they have the same job on the same day each week. It's been a lot of trial and error, but I am a lot happier now that they have fewer jobs to do every day. They are also more willing to help me when I need help once in a while because their daily jobs don't take that long to do.
Interesting that I am reading this right now as I sit here crying because I feel like my family isn't helping me enough. I wish I knew the answers...because I am too tired.
I have their chores by age. Faith has a "huge" list. But I let her made it. It has all of the things that she would normally do but by marking it on her chart she gets paid. Things like brush her teeth morning and night (it is on the list separately so she gets paid for both.) I also have her vacuum the entire upstairs a couple of days a week. Granted she is 11 and can do so much more. I will email you her list and you can see how I have it done.
Lizzie on the other hand is very simple. Put clothes in the laundry basket. Put bottle in the sink. It is much harder with her but she still does it.
Don't give up. On of the best lessons that my parents taught me was to work hard and love it.
As I have seen, some things work best for some families. For us, my kids have one job each day. (they don't get to chose...I do, and I usually give the child that has the most responsibility the hardest job) On Saturday they have two. But if there is something that they really want we work on a point system. They get so many points for certain jobs that they do ON TOP of their regular job each day until they get to the amt that they want.
But I do admit that a mothers job is never done regardless of what the kids do.
good luck
Wait you watched the Red Sox and the Yankees!!!!! How come I was not invited????
Actually this summer the job thing has gone much better than ever before, I'm not sure why. They all have their lists and have been marking them off themselves. I'm sure it's a fluke! But, I'm constantly telling them, "I cannot do this alone. I need your help!"
I too complained about my chores. My mother would make a list for each of us girls and we didn't play until they were done. I hated it at the time, but very grateful I was taught an honest days work. Sometimes it's harder for the mother to keep it all going, but in time, well worth it. I think your a great mother.
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