I read A very blended family post about getting teens to clean and I was going to leave a comment but realised it would be too long, so I’m writing here about it.
When I grew up with my two sisters we always had chores to do so it’s been ingrained in me that that’s what you do.
I didn’t really get pocket money until the last couple of years of high school and that money had to last me – I think it was $20 per month. Don’t forget we’re talking some years ago now. It wasn’t much for what it was expected to be spent on so I also learned to be frugal which isn’t a bad thing.
Then I had my own child and have had to make up my own rules about what he does around the house, and what compensation will be awarded – if any.
He’s nearly 12 and this is what I expect from him and what I give him.
I put $10 per week into his bank account which he can’t touch. He knows about it and I’ve said that this money might help him buy a car some day.
He has certain chores to do around the house like keeping his room tidy, filling up the water container as we filter our drinking water. He cleans the bathroom sink when I ask him to – about once a week. He’s responsible for doing the recycling and part of this is that he separates the 10c containers and he gets to keep the money from that for his spending money on items that I won’t buy for him. There’s sometimes additional jobs on top of these like vacuuming or sweeping.
If he doesn’t do his jobs then he loses privileges like watching television or playing video games or going on the computer. That’s his currency and as mentioned in the A very blended family post I linked to above, finding your kid’s currency is a good tool to have in the parenting arsenal.
He notices when kids he knows don’t do jobs around the house and he’s admitted to me that he’s better off having to do these things around the house so he can contribute and so that he knows what to do once he’s out on his own. Parenting win right there!
The photo at the top is an old one. I can tell because I’ve had the flooring replaced – it’s ripped here, and Monty is no longer with us. Towards the end she didn’t get the hint that when I was vacuuming and mopping that she was supposed to go outside and wait.
Good policies! We always were expected to see jobs and pitch in – haven’t worked out the way to fully impart that to my girls, but at least there is little fuss when they are highlighted.
I think that’s the main thing. I remember doing some nannying in England and one of the kids – about 12 at the time – said to me that I was the servant, that I should clean it up. Wrong thing to say to me. I told her what I thought of that.
Wonderful blog! I found it while surfing around on Yahoo News.
Do you have any suggestions on how to get listed in Yahoo
News? I’ve been trying for a while but I never seem to get there! Many thanks