Dads, Give them Household Chores

You have a chore to do around the house, and your

kids want to help out. You know it might be nice

for them to help, but you’re feeling a bit impatient.

And you know it might turn into a two hour project,

with a big mess to clean up. A mess that could be

avoided if you did it yourself.

We’ve all been there, haven’t we?

It can be so much easier to do the household chores and

projects without the assistance from your little friends.

After all, who’s got the time in today’s world to make a

project longer than it needs to be?

You do.

Why is it important to include your kids in household tasks?

Once in a while, there’s some research that unveils

something so important and relevant that it screams for

parents to hear it.

Researcher Marty Rossman, at the University of Minnesota,

studied a group of young adults from the time they were

young children. The startling results of the study were

that the young adults who’d participated in household

chores when they were age 3 and 4, were more successful as

adults than those who didn’t.

Specifically, these young adults were more likely to

complete their education, get a good start on a career,

develop adult relationships, and avoid the use of drugs.

The early participation in household chores was deemed

more important in their success than any other factor,

including IQ.

On the other hand, if children didn’t begin participating

in household chores until they were teenagers, the

experience seemed to backfire, and had a negative effect

on their success as young adults, using those same

measures.

What does this really mean?

When your young kids feel as though their dad (or mom)

believes they’re capable of handling simple chores

around the house, it’s an incredibly powerful message

to them.

Dad believes I can do it!

If your kids believe that’s how you feel about them as they

go through life, you’ll also be the parent of confident,

responsible, and happy kids. That’s what’s created when

you choose to see your kids as capable, and you show them

you believe in them.

But it’s not as easy as just seeing them as capable. You

also have to show patience when they tackle these chores.

You can’t take over for them when they struggle, or “correct”

what they did. Often, it’s what you don’t do that

communicates you believe in them.

Imagine the difference you can make with your kids by

allowing their participation in the family chores.

Imagine the difference in your kids esteem when they

feel like a productive participant in the family from a

young age.

You do have time to include your kids in chores and

projects at home. Tell every other father and mother you

know that they have time, too.

It’s too important not to.