Why Don't Kids Do Chores Anymore?

Career Journal ^ | July 01, 2005 | Jeff Opdyke

[rawhide]

But my daughter, a high school senior, never lifts a finger, and neither do any of her friends. The reason is that they're killing themselves trying to get good grades in school AND working at a paying job to get money for college.

Surely, there is something she can do, clean windows, wash dishes, mop, vacuum, wash clothes,iron, work in the flower bed? It is teaching your kids, family responsibility. And they should not necessarily expect to be paid to do some of these chores.

[ContraryMary]

My kids have a list of chores -- not much, a half hour's worth if they don't dawdle -- to do each day when they come home from school. They complain a lot, though. You'd think that vacuuming the living room was cruel and inhuman punishment.

[rawhide]

Our teenager does chores and he doesn't get an allowance (no pay for household chores, that's part of being a family, you're not going to get paid as an adult for doing household chores.) He has a part-time job and has money from that for spending.

I applaud you for raising your kid the right way. He is going to grow into a responsible young man, thanks much to you, and the values you instill in him today.

My brother has a couple of teenage sons, and sometimes the weather will knock some trees/limbs down in the neighborhood he lives in. My brother will go to the widow houses that live nearby his house, and he bring his sons with him, and they will clean up the yards with his chainsaw and racks for the widows, at no charge. He is a great father, IMHO!

[slightlyovertaxed]

I think a lot of high-schoolers now are more busy than we were when we were in high school. Average kid wakes up at 6AM, goes to school until 3, has sports/music/theater/work until 6 or 7PM, and then has a few hours of homework. . Sure, that's a normal schedule for an adult, but what happened to letting kids (even teens) have a bit of kid-time? Where's the time for fun or even sleep? The obsession with packaging them for college has taken over common sense scheduling

Athletes especially get hammered with long hours of practice and games on weekends. Cutting back on some of these ridiculous extracurriculars would give them more time with the family (including chores!) and make them healthier people.

[rawhide]

racks=rakes

[durasell]

packaging them for college



Good turn of phrase. Kudos.

[SouthernFreebird]

My daughter was working a job at 16 along with helping babysit her brothers and do all the things she needed to do to get into a good College. My 15 yr old boy has been mowing laws for the last 3 summers to make spending money, and helps with the babysitting of younger bro.

They didn't get the expensive clothes and shoes and they were wonderful and grateful about what they did get. They had lots of friends in the same boat willing to help in the ways they can.

Frankly I'm sick of hearing our American children always being put down as spoiled and lazy. I saw alot of fat mexican kids in those protest lines... they ain't all working up a sweat.

Who do you think is filling the services, our American teens both men and women lining up to contribute to our Country, Bet you won't see many of those illegal kids that are the media darlings signing on the dotted line.

[rawhide]

I seem to remember many kids years ago had to get up at 5 to milk the cows. Many had to take a couple of weeks off in the Fall to bring in the harvest. Then after school, there was always the after-school chores they had to do. And there was always time for the extra-curricular stuff that kids do today.

I guess it boils down to priorities. I rather have my kid miss out on a extra-curricular activity, and do chores around the house, if that is what it takes.

[SactoJournalist]

I'm new to this message board. This is an interesting discussion.

I did post something positive about kids elsewhere but it must have been in the wrong area. I don't know what a "bump" is, but that was the only reply.

There are some positive things conservative youngsters are doing this summer so maybe, for them, mowing the lawn for spending money is less challenging. But perhaps the more expert posters here can pass the message on and get behind these youngsters.

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[ContraryMary]

The obsession with packaging them for college has taken over common sense scheduling.

You can say that, again! Parents these days go nuts over where their kids go to college. I've been in the work world for longer than I'm willing to admit. What I've learned over the years is that unless you want to work on Wall Street or you want to go into a profession that requires specialized training beyond a four-year degree (law or medicine, for example) it doesn't really matter where you go to college. For kids fresh out of college employers look at GPA, how the kid presents himself/herself, their work ethic, etc. A kid from a state college with a good GPA who is eager to work will be preferred over a snot-nosed Ivy Leaguer with a C average and an attitude.

[keats5]

Huh? My three kids do their own laundry, mow our lawn (5 acres), set the table, clean their bathroom, sweep the floor and take out the trash. They know better than to ask us for cash. The two teens get whatever cash they need from their part time after school jobs. One works in a pet store and the other stacks wood at a tree farm.

[hoosierham]

As was pointed out ,since the near total demise of the family farm/family store AND the rise of lawsuits AND child abuse/labor laws that are just plain ridiculous,many parents are AFRAID to be parents.For decades the Dr. Spock bad advice has been promoted by the liberal media until it is seldom even questioned.

My three hours per day of "unpaid" farm chores would be grounds for child protective services today. There are too many laws/rules saying today's kids can't use sharp objects or power tools, tractors,etc

Judges even decree 17 year olds don't understand right from wrong and can't be punished for murder.

[Old Professer]

"When I was growing up, I spent many summer days struggling to shove a bulky Toro mower through the thick mat of grass that was my yard."

I'm thinking he may have meant to say balky as opposed to bulky but still, Toro made high-end self-propelled "push" mowers and had a dandy little model they introduced in the 1950s that had a bag to collect the clippimgs from a rotary mower.

Admittedly, back then there was no electronic ignition and starting was often difficult, but all Toros had horsepower ratings and performance far exceeding the little putt-putt Joe Homeowner could pickup down at the local Western Auto store.

I'll bet if you get this guy just a tad into his cups he'll tell you that every one of those lawns was uphill both ways.

[Old Professer]

There is no need to slope a hog, their back legs are longer at birth and remain that way for life.

[Beagle8U]

"I did post something positive about kids elsewhere but it must have been in the wrong area. I don't know what a "bump" is, but that was the only reply."

"Bump" is a good reply, it basically means that the poster agreed with your post.

Welcome to FreeRepublic.

[Irene Adler]

"What would be wrong with giving him a few bucks for doing chores? And if he already gets an allowance, he's been paid in advance"

I agree with you wholeheartedly. My dad, in the 1950s was always saying that kids shouldn't be paid for doing chores. But, in truth, my sisters and I weren't required to do much at all, mostly because our parents were not strong people and wouldn't push the issue. That left us with no way to earn the minimal amounts of money kids needed even then to make small purchases, because for some reason my dad didn't believe in allowances, either. We had to ask for money all the time. Not very smart, in my opinion. My sisters and I were denied an opportunity to learn to manage money by earning it and budgeting what we earned and/or got as allowance.

[SouthernFreebird]

I think a bump is to keep the thread from disappearing too soon, as in bump to the top.

[McLynnan]

Sorry for your boys. I do use a high school boy, but it takes him two hours with lots of water breaks in the heat to do what the truckful of illegals can do in a few minutes. He works a lot harder for the money than they do. Not to mention the illegals are working full time under the table while they take advantage of the infrastructure we legal taxpayers support.

[Beagle8U]

I know that, but it is often meant as a compliment to the poster in agreement.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

think the fact that so many kids don't do chores around the house these days is due to the fact that they have to get real part-time jobs since the cost of college has skyrocketed.

At fifteen or sixteen I can see that. But I was helping out with the lawn at age seven. I was the "trimmer", since my hands were too weak to use a regular pair of clippers I was given a pair of scissors.