Kids + Chores

As I'm participating in the 30 Day House Cleaning Challenge, it has come to my attention yet again.... That my kids are not helping Mom out like they should. If you're household is anything like mine you can't get through "chore time" without whining, arguing and stinky attitudes.

An article I recently read in Working Mother helped shed some light on the other part of my problem. I tend to cave. Yup I do, I'll admit it. I look at the kids and think how short childhood is and how I'd rather have them doing "fun" things than having to do chores at times. So I will sink back and let them get away with more than I should. Apparently I am not the only one who does this. However it is not only important for our own sanity to get help around the house, but it is imperative to teach our children teamwork, responsibility and to instill quality characteristics (neatness and organization) that they can take with them into adulthood. This is our responsibility as parents.

We've tried the chore chart idea and everything else under the moon. So as i put on my problem solving cap I realized the main problem is the arguing about who has to do what. So my newest idea (I Pray It Works) is the Job Jar.

Here's how the Job Jar is supposed to work: Each child has to choose 3 slips of paper everyday all of which have various chores on them. Then after they perform their job, they mark their name next to the job they did for the day. Here's the catch, If after three days they have drawn the same chore, they can dump it and pick a new one. This will ensure that no one gets stuck doing a certain chore for too may days in a row. AND, it isn't Mom who has to designate or keep track of who did what, it's the Jar's job and the corresponding chart to prove they have done what they say they've done.

*There are consequences for not completing three chores per day on the chart.

So here's what I did:

I typed out the daily chores and cut them into slips.
I made a cute label for our upcycled pickle jar and the chart.

Chore:	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
Dishes/Counters
Sweep and Vacuum
Doggie Duty
Empty Garbages
Bathroom
Wash & Fold Laundry
Dust
Windows/ Mirrors/Glass
Clean Microwave
Pull Weeds
Wash Kitchen Floor
Wash Bathroom Floor