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Home › Articles › Discipline › A Job Well Done!

A Job Well Done!

The Art of Delegating Chores to Your Children

By Gwen Morrison

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One of the best ways to build self-esteem, confidence and a sense of responsibility in your children is to assign them regular chores around the house. Children who grow up helping out with the everyday household tasks learn through experience how to take care of themselves as adults. They experience a higher sense of accomplishment having learned early the valuable lessons of a job well done.

The ability to contribute has many rewards for both the child and the parent. When the child is given some of the tasks to do around the house, the parent is then able to spend more time doing things with them instead of hurrying from one job to another.

Don't Underestimate Your Child
According to Elizabeth Pantley, a parent educator and author of several parenting books including Kid Cooperation (New Harbinger, 1996) and Perfect Parenting (McGraw-Hill, 1998), the first mistake that parents make when considering chore distribution is underestimating the abilities of their children. Certainly there is no child who will admit they can do more than what their mom or dad wants them to. A child who is capable of surfing the Internet or building a 10-story condo out of Legos is equally able to dust the baseboards in the living room or vacuum a carpet.

"My oldest son began helping at age 2. He would follow me through the house and lay a garbage bag over the basket when I removed the old one," remembers Wanda Yates, a mother from Philadelphia, Pa. "My youngest, who is now 3, has taken over that job and a few others. He is so proud, and it is a pleasure to award him the allowance he earns. I am glad that they all work hard; it makes them more independent."


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