Kids Who do Household Chores Make Better Employees

The simple act of children doing green cleaning jobs around the home will set them ahead of the pack when it comes time for them to seek out employment.  How is that possible?  Consider the following…

Take a moment and think about the very first job you were employed at.  What was the job task you were to fulfill?  More than likely it had some form of cleaning involved in the job description. 

Today’s teenagers are increasingly not expected to do household chores.  My husband and I have three children; two boys and a girl.  Each of them have told us that they have friends that do not have to do any household work.  My response to each of them has been the same, “if so-and-so lived here, they would be doing chores.”

I have spoken with various business owners who have needed teenagers to do small part-time jobs this summer and they have shared the same frustration—they can’t find any teenagers willing to work.

Parents—expecting your children to do household chores is truly for their own good!  Psychologists have stated that household chores give children a sense that they are part of something larger than themselves and that they have a sense of belonging.  Doing a task from start to finish gives them a sense of accomplishment—even if that task is small or may seem insignificant at the time. 

There is growing research that indicates the real need for children to do chores.  Contrary to what our children may think about chores, the household work they do gives them a sense of well-being, family ties and rootedness when contributing to the greater family establishment.

Why are children today not doing chores around the home?  There are a couple of possible explanations: affluence—parents are hiring out lawn maintenance and housecleaning to outside groups.  Secondly, the rise in over-scheduled kids.  Children are being shuttled from one activity to another with little down time.  If there is any time left over in the day, it goes for family time or homework. 

Now, I am not saying that you should not hire out either of these types of household services.  There are plenty of chores that need daily attention and some things like washing dishes, vacuuming and sweeping need to be done even when the housekeeping crew are not scheduled for a visit.

While homework is important as well as sports; your children are part of a family unit. Flexibility may be what is needed.  For example: on days when my kids have had sports games to attend to or work schedules after school, they did not have to do the dishes on those evenings.  They would do dishes on a different evening, and larger household chores would be done on Saturday morning.

A Case in Point…

Recently my daughter, who works at a local bakery, overheard a conversation between two of her bosses regarding herself.  One boss told the other boss—if you need something cleaned well, ask Anna!

This compliment has been given to a young lady who knows how to green clean!  She is expected to do various cleaning tasks at home and to do them well.  She has learned that if a task is not done well, she will be asked to do it over again.  For clarification, we do not expect perfection in our home, but we expect any task of green cleaning to be done well! 

As with my two older children, both are sons, they have received similar compliments as to their work ethic. 

In addition: “Kids that are raised on chores go on to become employees that collaborate with their coworkers,” shares Julie Lythott-Haims, former dean of freshmen at Stanford University. 

The bottom line…

Kids who do chores feel greater connection to the family.

Kids who do chores gain a greater sense of accomplishment.

Kids you do chores are better employees in the marketplace.

Moms and Dads—step forward in confidence when you ask your son or daughter to do some form of eco-friendly, green cleaning around the home.  You are helping to shape them into a healthy, working part of a society!

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