Household Chores

So, it is the New Year and Cherish is now 4 years old, so I have added another chore to her previous list.

Here’s a recap of her previous morning chores—which she received at age 3:

1. Make bed.

2. Get dressed. (Yep, that was her chore, because she could easily stay in pajamas all day.)

3. Eat breakfast. (Yep, that was a chore too, because she used to want to skip breakfast. Now she looks forward to eating breakfast.)

4. Brush teeth. (She brushes her own teeth in the morning; daddy or mommy brushes her teeth at night.)

Also, this past summer she had requested that she be the one to fold the small items in the clean laundry (like wash cloths and her clothes), and to sort, match, and fold socks. She LOVES it!

Side note: Today when I pulled the first load of laundry out of the dryer Cherish told me, "Mom, make sure you leave the washcloths, tights, and stuff for me to fold!" (She was eating and didn't want to miss out on the "fun".)

So, now I’ve added: clear the dishes from the table for every meal. Surprisingly, Cherish is REALLY enjoying her new chore. It seems she feels important and needed. It is mommy/daughter time in the kitchen.

Sure, sharing family chores can slow a mommy down, but I have seen a huge change in Cherish when she has finished a chore. She beams!

Cherish is always looking for something to do with me—constantly asking me what we can do together—and doing chores together guarantees her one-on-one time with mom. Besides that, momma ALWAYS squeals with delight/jumps up and down/clamps with joy, and affirms her every accomplishment. She gets great delight out of momma’s response to her “job well done”.

I make sure to check all chores and let her know she did a FANTASTIC job—even if I have to secretly go back and redo something (like sealing up the food that she put away from the dinner table).

My rules for Cherish’s chores:

1. Always check on her jobs. (Then, she feels it was worth the effort.)

2. Always cheer on her accomplishments. (You should hear the squeals of delight I get back in return!)

Cherish has a calendar in her room on which she places stickers for each day her chores have been completed. Besides the reward of stickers, there is an additional benefit: she is learning the days of the week and dates.

Chores. It sounds like such a negative word. They are very much a positive part of our lives. I should rename the word.