Why Chores Are Important Part of Teaching Kids Responsibility

Today we are talking about WHY it is important to get kids involved in doing chores. This is especially relevant if you are like me and think on most days, “it would just be easier to do that chore myself than MAKE my kid do it!”

Stop.

There is science behind chores. Yes, there is thousands of years of history behind every member of the family having responsibilities at home, but there is also science.

Why it is Important that Kids Do Chores in the Home

Today I invited back an expert in this field to help us. This mom of 10 kids has spent years developing a realistic and doable chore system that the entire family will embrace.

Her name is Ashley Buffa and she runs the organization, Freedom Moms. If you missed our previous conversations on Kids and Chores and the 3 steps to getting kids to do chores, then check those out!

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Watch Video on Importance of Kids Doing Chores

Harvard Study Shows Kids Who Do Chores are More Successful

Not only were kids who do chores more successful, but they were happier later in life:

A long-running Harvard University study of inner-city males found that willingness and capacity to work in childhood — indicated by holding a part-time job, taking on household chores, or participating in school clubs or sports — was a better predictor of mental health in adulthood than was social class, family problems, and other factors.
–Ami Albernaz at Boston Globe

Is Setting Up a Chore System in Our Home Worth It?

If we want successful kids that are prepared to go out into the world instead of boomeranging back into our basement…

If we want a cleaner house…

If we want to teach kids how to take good care of themselves and not live in squalor…

If we want to give our kids a bigger opportunity for happiness…

…then the answer is definitely YES.

How to Successfully Implement a Chore System in Your House

Bottom line with kids and chores is if it is harder to GET them to do the chores than it is to do it yourself, then it is not sustainable.

If it is more stressful to make sure they do those chores than just adding them to your to-do list, it won’t work longer than a few days…and isn’t good for your health!

In order for this to work, it has to work! I know that sounds obvious, but in reality so often we set up a chore system for our kids that we cannot possibly maintain. It takes way too much drama to continue.

And drama is draining the last little bit of energy we have!