Chores. I don’t really like that word, but house upkeep is a necessary evil. There are those rare people that actually LIKE doing it, my mom for instance, but I would say a majority of us wish there was a group of magical fairies that came into our home and cleaned while we were sleeping or gone.  Although that thought is a bit creepy…

One of the most asked questions I get is, what ‘chores’ does Melaina do around the house? The answer is none. And all. Most people talk to me about the struggle to get their kids to do anything they tell them to do. I dont have that struggle. Melaina knows how to sweep, mop, vacuum, do laundry, some cooking, load and unload the dishwasher, prep the cat food and a plethora of other things. Does she do them on her own? Mostly not LoL. However, any time I ask her to do something or help me with something, it gets done.

Did anyone pick up on the earlier statement and mine? They tell their kids to do something. I ask my kid to do something. HUGE difference. Try it a few times. Also, don’t expect them to drop what they are doing instantly and come running to do it. It may seem like they are doing something worthless, but to them it is not. Example, “Can you empty the dishwasher before dinner?”

Do I get sass or attitude at times? OMG! Yes. Yes I do. She is my daughter after all.  But I deal with it and then we move on. I will turn off phone app access if I have to ask more than twice. Or get loud. She doesn’t like either of those, so it usually works out fine.

The other question I get, that goes along with this is, “Does Melaina get paid for doing [chores] around the house?”  No. It is our home. It is the responsibility of all who live there to contribute to its upkeep to the best of their ability.  Her dad and I both work full time jobs. She goes to school. None of us have the time to take on all the housekeeping inside or outside.  It takes all of us, working together – with some bickering, sass and attitude thrown in- to make it a home.  She does have opportunity to earn money. And any money she gets as a gift, she saves. If she asks for something, within reason, we will usually allow her get it. She has been the one to use her own money over the years for some rather large purchases; a Kindle Fire, fifth grade camp (she didn’t want to do fund raising, so the other option was pay for it herself), and most recently a laptop – a pretty high end one too that should get her through lots of years. And yes, there are useage rules for that too. Just because she bought it, doesn’t mean she gets free reign with it. I can use the Netgear Router app to shut off internet access while at home. I can also set parental limits via the security software.

Don’t forget to check in on my Facebook page for discussion on this topic. Would love to hear from you.