expecting the kids to contribute

[kawazuki]

i think its great.
DS has his chores, empty the disjhwasher, feed the cat and stick insects, pack his folded clothes away. teaches him responsibility he even packs his own bag when we go away for a weekend, saves they why did u pack x top or x pants.
then fi he doesnt have it to bad. lol we go through what he needs with him before he packs and then after he has packed, hasnt left anything behind yet..

he has to clean his room and we make him vacume occasionally.
dd turns the dishwasher on, helps pick out the veggies for dinner from the fridge. packs her clothes away well throws them toward her draws, she is only 2 but she knows where they should be lol

[Bumperstump Cummerbund]

I have 3 sisters, and we all had our own jobs - I was cook, another did washing, another the bathrooms and the last one vacuuming. We turned out okay! Well, I did anyway

I knew a young couple who got married, and after a month he sent her back to her parents, because she couldn't do ANYTHING!! She was back home for 2 weeks, got a crash course in domesticity, and then moved back with hubby. Extreme perhaps, but she would literally just go out and get coffee with her girlfirends and shop every day, because thats what she thought a wife did

[Jaycee]

Ok, once I've said my bit I mat go hide under a rock

I am all for kids helping out around the house, but to cook 3 meals per week I feel is a little extreme if you are also planning on having them help with dishes, vacuum, keep their room tidy etc. I feel that whilst kids should be taught to help out, they should also be able to be kids too. They'll be at school 5 days a week, probably have homework, and do all of these chores on top of that, when are they supposed to be kids?

This is in no way an attack on you or your beliefs, just my opinion!

I'll be under my rock if you need me

[littlelara]

Haha, no need to hide, it's ok.
I didn't intend them to do everything domestically (although hanging out the washing occasionally might be nice when they can reach the washing line lol), I just figured they could each take charge of one meal per week and make one together; it could be cheese on toast for all I care, it was more about principle and sharing the load, I think.

[shellbell3]

I'm all for kids helping out.
I think its important to be self sufficient on these things.
Even at 3 I get DD to help out, pack away her toys, put her plate in the dishwasher or at least on the bench, simple things like that.

[Nadine216]

I don't see helping out in that way as a job, I see it as something you can be thankfull for. It means you have a house to clean, food to cook and clothes to wash.

I have two sisters and we were always helping out. My mom started working again when I was about 12 and my youngest sister were 6. We got jobs to do around the house to help her out and you'd have to help with dinner and cleaning up afterwards. Later on we each got a turn to prepare a Sunday cooked meal (try new recipes etc) and in high school you were responsible to do your own ironing.

I'm definatly going to let dd and ds help around the house and not just "gender appointed" jobs. I want dd to know how to mow the lawn, just like I want ds to know how to iron a shirt.

I say go for it. And if that does not sit well with DH .. tell him that you want your daughter to be just as good as wife to her husband, like you are to him and visa versa with your son and for that to happen they have to be taught

[Jas]

I think it is a great idea. I think when it comes the parenting we see what we had as kids and we see bad stuff and "normal" stuff, the bad stuff is those things we say we will NEVER do and the "normal" stuff is the stuff we go to as our default....sometimes thats where parenting conflict comes up when parents have a different "normal default" to our partners. Sometimes when we think these things through its not that we actually believe what we believe its just we took it as the way it has to be iykwim???