No chores?

Since this has been a hot topic lately I thought I would just give my straight answer right here.

Families live together, learn together and work together.

I will freely admit to doing all the cleaning as my kids were young. They of course as toddlers would want to help. As they grew I would keep them with me and talk to them. I have never forced my children to do any chores.

As they are getting a little older they are helping out more. I ask for help and they usually help. This wasn't always the case, sometimes I would get a grumble, so we talk about why. If they are in the middle of something and I ask one to feed the dog or something, they tell me they will do it when they are done. It's nobody's job to feed the dogs, most days it gets down without asking.

My kids know how to sweep, mop, vacuum, run the washer, do dishes, feed the animals, clean the toilet etc. They know how from watching and from doing.

When the house gets messy I just ask for everyone to pitch in and we can get it down fast. Most days I just go around picking things up or moving them to the right room as I walk through the house.

My kids make lots of messes and they are usually willing to help out.

Some more than others, a lot is personality.

We talk about cleaning and how we all live here and it is nice if we can all keep it liveable.

I still do the majority of cleaning and ask for help as I see fit.

I want my kids to help from their heart not from force.

The beauty really shines when they just go and do something without being asked but because they wanted to.

A recent example is last week Kieran weeded the flower bed in front of the house, he did it as a surprise for his dad.

Awhile ago I woke up and both boys were doing the dishes.

Kieran likes to clean the bathroom, although he hasn't done it lately. Sometimes he sweeps and mops the floors. Cassie likes to wash windows and dust.

This is not an everyday occurance, it is intermittent but it is important because it isn't forced.

Cassie asked me to help her clean her room last night and she really did a lot. Usually I clean it because it gets overwhelming for her.

As they grow and mature it really gets easier.

My attitude is also that if I am the one who wants to clean then I'll just clean.

Life is too short to get worked up about these kind of things.

Childhood is really short and I do not want my kids to spend it doing chores.