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Not all kids are going to want to help their parents do the house cleaning and other chores. Some of them need some motivation and some coaxing, but if you can get them to be your chore partner, then you cannot just have a cleaner house and have to do less work yourself, but you also get kids who are able to see the value in hard work and helping others.
Lead by Example
You will have a hard time getting your kids to do chores that you are not willing to do yourself. Look, no one wants to clean the toilet, take out the trash and wash the dishes, but if you are willing to do those chores from time to time, then you will find that your kids are willing to do them occasionally too. You will also get fewer excuses that go along the lines of “I always do this job”.
Praise Their Effort as Well as Their Results
Your kids won’t always do the job right, especially at first. They may not be skilled or may not put in a lot of effort, but you can get better results from them over time. You can get them to take some pride in their accomplishments by praising what they did right. Sometimes, you have to look hard to find things to compliment, but you can find it with enough looking. Praise the effort they put in and that they tried to do a good job. Admire the parts they got right, and they will work hard to get the rest right.
Don’t Criticize without Love
If you have something negative to say about what they did, then be sure to offer loving criticism. The spirit the criticism is given in makes a lot of difference. Try not to be too hard on your kids, but you can still be truthful and firm. Tell them that you are disappointed that they didn’t try very hard, that they had a bad attitude or that they left something looking dirty. In the space of a few seconds, you should also tell them what you are happy with and what they did well. You can give them pointers for improvement to help them overcome frustration and to ensure that they don’t have to experience that same criticism. Keep trying different tactics to get them to do things the right way, but always remember to do that in love so that they stay your chore partners.
Reward Them with a Break
It’s okay to take a break from chores for a day or so every once in a while. You can reward yourself and your kids by taking them out, spending the day doing things you love and just not doing chores. Now, the cleaning may still need to be done, and if that is the case, then it may be a good idea to call in a cleaning service suggests Jones who is a manager at Cleaning Services Los Angeles, but these reward days will mean so much to your kids when they know you see them as not just chore partners but also as buddies.
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This content is brought to you by Marge Latham.
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