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Mothers have different tricks up their sleeves when it comes to making children perform the household chores they should not avoid
Every mother must have come up against the brusque “I’ll do it later” reply sometime or the other from their children to the query “Why haven’t you cleaned your room yet?”
Mothers are of the opinion that getting kids to do their chores is one of the most common issues triggering arguments in the household. The answer that follows the question “Why haven’t you cleaned the room yet?” is always, or almost always, “I’ll do it later.”
Orissa POST speaks to mothers on how they get their kids to perform the daily chores that the latter often defiantly avoid.
Devina Giri, a beautician by profession, says: “‘I’ll do it later’ is the common reply given by kids when they are asked to do any household job. This is true of every family; however, in my family the case is a bit different. Whenever I ask my daughter to complete a certain work I make sure she does it at that particular moment as the phrase ‘will do it later’ is not acceptable.”
Devina says getting kids to do their part teaches them a number of valuable lessons like teamwork and responsibility.
“Timing is of the essence when it comes to making children do household jobs. I believe there should be a time for performing the daily chores, either in the evening or morning. During her study hours I don’t assign any work to my daughter. Personally, I believe evenings are the best time for doing the chores because in the morning there is lot of stress and hurried preparation for school,” she adds.
Mamata Patnaik from Bhawanipatna says getting children to do their part in cleaning the house often takes more effort than doing it yourself.
“If I ask my son to do a particular task he never denies or procrastinates. Though my daughter does it sometimes I don’t take it seriously as she is too young. Instead of making the children perform the chores as a kind of punishment, I make it a fun activity for them, like by sometimes telling them that if they complete a particular task in time they would be given an extra hour to play or watch TV. That’s how I get them to help me keep the house neat and clean,” Mamata says.
Motivating kids to do chores from an early age helps them to develop as self-sufficient, responsible, well-rounded adults, says Ujjawala Salve, a social worker.
Like Devina, Ujjawala feels that time plays an important role in motivating kids to do household chores.
“A good way to start is to make a list of the regular chores and get everyone to pick a couple from the list – ones they would not mind doing much. I believe there should be a time to do the chores like in the evening or morning. During the summer holidays kids should get involved in household works. Before my kids start playing video games or other games I make sure they have made their bed and cleaned their room. That’s how I urge my little angels to do household chores,” she says.
