I found the links to these articles on Family Economy a long time ago at Two Talent Living., aka A Gracious Home. The articles are long but worthwhile, I think.
Love Is Not Enough: Toward the Recovery of A Family Economics by Allan Carlton
The Power of the Home Economy by Kathleen Bahr
In one international study, African children who did “predominantly family-care tasks [such as] fetching wood or water, looking after siblings, running errands for parents” showed a high degree of helpfulness while “children in the Northeast United States, whose primary task in the household was to clean their own room, were the least helpful of all the children in the six cultures that were studied.”
How does ordinary, family-centered work like feeding, clothing, and nurturing a family—work that often seems endless and mundane—actually bless our lives? The answer is so obvious in common experience that it has become obscure: Family work links people. On a daily basis, the tasks we do to stay alive provide us with endless opportunities to recognize and fill the needs of others. Family work is a call to enact love, and it is a call that is universal. Throughout history, in every culture, whether in poverty or prosperity, there has been the ever-present need to shelter, clothe, feed, and care for each other.
In our family, each child has a morning job, a lunchtime job, and an evening job. These are “family care tasks” such as loading the dishwasher, or emptying the trash, or sweeping the floors. These jobs are to be done before the meal is served, providing an incentive for timely completion. And the jobs are necessary. Everyone knows if Someone hasn’t cleaned the bathroom properly because it gets very nasty very fast with ten people livng in the house. Children keep their same jobs for six months or a year because then I can remember who’s supposed to do what, and they can practice a particulaar job and learn to do it right. Sometimes, if some one is ill or out of pocket, another gets to do the sibling’s job, a gift of service to the family and to the sibling.
We still have some complaining and sometimes jobs aren’t done to the highest standards, but we have a plan and we keep on plugging. It mostly works for me.
Work your way over to Shannon’s Rocks in My Dryer for more Works for Me Wednesday tips and ideas.
At what age did you start giving them chores? Thanks for the tips!
We run our home much this way. See sanity-savers-for-busy-households The articles were fascinating. Thanks so much for these links!!
Mary, mom to many
Our son is 20 months old and I’m slowly introducing him to chores…mainly picking up his toys, “helping” to cook, putting away his clothes in his dresser drawers, and other little tasks. As he gets older, he’ll have certain chores that will be expected of him.
I’ve posted a WFMW tip as well, involving an alternate use for a pot rack. Stop by and take a peek. 🙂
We do this too, though I never thought of using meals. My eldest, age 8 is responsible for the family laaundry (2 loads a day), the six year old is responsible for sorting it and making sure the towels and her own are folder and put away, the 4 year old is responsible for folding washclothes and making ure his are put away. Same for dishes, the eldest does the glasses and plates, the middle does the tupperwear and pans, youngest does silverware.
Trisha, as soon as they are old enough to make a mess on their own they are old enough to start cleaning it up and “help mommy” do chores. My kids had a small broom and dust pan to use at around 18 months. Each of them has had a family “job” from that time on, even if it is just helping mom get a bigger job done.
Sherry,
We do almost permanent, tied-to-the-meal housework also and the bathrooms are one of those jobs and I have to keep a tight watch on the bathroom cleaner since our bathrooms are used by mostly boys!!
Everyone pitching in is a definite blessing. In addition to their rooms and bathrooms, mine are now able to help with laundry and dishes. I’m ecstatic!
Great reminder to us all!
Good idea. Thanks for the reminder of the importance of it.
LOL I can’t wait until Lil’ Duck is old enough to clean rather than destroy ;). What a wonderful idea! Have a great Wednesday – our WFMW tip is up as well!
I love the article that you’ve put with it. My kids should have that one read to them, tonight perhaps? Once they hear their chores compared to ours, they may be less inclined to baulk at the work which they are expected to do cheerfully. Excellent tip.
I like this idea. We’re trying to figure out a good way to work out chores for our kids.
Great tip! I’ve noticed that my son seems so motivated to help when he is doing things like vacuuming, feeding the cat, etc. As for cleaning his room – yeah, that one doesn’t get us very far. Thanks for the links – great food for thought.
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