Chores are something that will be with us our entire life. We start as children learning how to become independent and increasingly taking on more chores. Depending on parenting style, you might have had a lot of chores growing up, or your might not have had any. Either way, once you leave the nest, you are responsible for your life and for maintaining your chores. This can come as a hard reality check for those that never did chores, or it can be an easier transition for children that were made to be responsible for themselves.

I believe that those of up that grew up doing chores developed a strong work ethic and sense of responsibility at a young age. Giving your children chores allows them to understand the importance of hard work. It also gives them the skills to do these chores in their adult lives. All of this will eventually spill over into how they maintain themselves as adults and their work ethic in their careers. If you never made your child do their own laundry, they are going to lack skills to make themselves presentable for work. They might not know how to get stains out of their clothes, or the importance of ironing their dress shirts. This will set them up for a series of hard lessons that were completely avoidable.

Empower your children to be in control of their own future and success. Train them to do chores and maintain their homes, clothes, kitchens, and bodies. Figuring this stuff out early gives them more capacity to figure out the things that really matter in their life. They could spend an entire day doing laundry because they haven’t figured out how to effectively and efficiently wash their clothes. Or, they could spend an entire day looking for a job or learning a new skill. There are many other practical applications for knowing how to clean and care things that will position them well in their life. Take the time to teach your children how to do their chores and hold them accountable for completing these chores. Beyond learning how to do these tasks, it establishes a hard work ethic and teaches responsibility.

-Bria