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Friday, March 9, 2012

Work is not an evil word

From the time they're young, children need to learn how to work.  I'm not talking slave labor here (although some kids think that ALL work constitutes slave labor).  I'm talking about the normal, routine taking care of the home, taking care of personal belongings and pitching in when extra hands are needed.   It is probably easier and quicker for you to take care of everything but you lose out on the opportunity to teach your child valuable skills and let him feel like a contributing member of the family.  Young children love to imitate Mommy and Daddy and want to be helpers so let them feed the kitty or fold some towels or sweep the kitchen floor.  Be creative! Be positive!  There are a number of small tasks that children as young as preschoolers can help with.  The time will come when they're not so eager but hopefully by then they will have started building habits that can be expanded upon.   And as they grow, their abilities and skills grow and improve too.   Don't sit back and watch them work but be there working alongside them.  Show them by your example that everyone contributes to the family.  Strange as it may seem, some of my children's fondest memories are of times where we worked together as a family.

2 comments:

  1. I am learning the hard way that consistency is the key especially when it comes to regular chores...and it is so hard to do. Also this helps me figure out what is really essential. For instance, I am getting ready to clean out my son's room because it is so hard to get him to clean it. So, does he really need all that stuff to keep clean? Probably not... :)

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  2. Good point! Do we do our kids any favors by overwhelming them with stuff and then requiring that they take good care of it? Do they have a place for all that stuff? Would it be easier with less stuff? Those questions apply to us too!

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