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Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Tidy Tuesday - Expectations

Let's just assume for a minute that your children are old enough to do basic chores around the house.  And, let's assume that your twelve year old daughter is assigned to clean up the kitchen after dinner.  Does she know what it means to clean up the kitchen?  Is your mind picture different than hers?  She might think that a clean kitchen means to wash the dishes and she's outta there.  You might think that the job isn't done until the floor is swept, the dishes are cleared from the table, the leftover food is put away, the counters are wiped clean and who knows what else.  Do you see where a problem and possible conflict might arise?

How might you avoid this kind of conflict?  If you just assign her a chore and tell her to do it, you are missing a vital step.  You first need to teach her what is expected and show her how to do it.  Work with her until you see that she knows the routine.  It can be helpful to make a chart that outlines the basics of a particular chore.  You can do this for any chore.  I kept a list on the inside of a kitchen cabinet door so the kids could check things off as they did them.  I also did this in the bathroom.

Also, there is a saying that goes, "Don't expect anything you don't inspect."  So, take a look when your child says she's finished and make sure the job is done. 


2 comments:

  1. Now how about telling me where the fast forward button is hidden...

    ReplyDelete