Did you have chores as a kid?

[ldg]

In talking about this next storm on the way, Gary and I were remembering the Winter of 1969 in Chicago. My sister and I were shoveling off the snow on the porch roof (the flat roof on the house) - and somehow we tipped over the ladder. We threw snowballs at my Dad's den window, but he didn't notice.

But the snow was SO deep - we just jumped off the roof.

As we've run errands these past few weeks - we always see adults outside shoveling or operating the snow blower - and kids outside playing in the snow.

My brother, sister and I were responsible for ALL shoveling, lawn mowing, leaf raking, garden weeding... and we set the table for all meals, did all the clean up, and helped do all house cleaning. We were right there, helping to scrape the house and paint it, switched screens for storm windows - you name it, it was our "chore."

I was pretty sure my parents HAD kids so we'd do all the work around the house!

But I almost never see kids outside (around here) doing the mowing or raking or shoveling... and it got me wondering.

Was our family the anomaly?

 

[laceface]

We had chores when I was little! At my dad's, that meant taking care of the horses, doing dishes, and doing the cleaning, including his laundry. His house was extreme, he didn't even cook dinner. It was basically like he wasn't there.

At my mom's, we were expected to keep our rooms clean and clean up after ourselves. On weekends, we were each assigned a room to scrub top to bottom. Bathrooms, living room or kitchen. (There were three of us, she was lucky, lol).

Most kids I grew up with didn't have chores, or they were paid obscene amounts to do chores. We didn't get a cent for doing chores- it was just expected of us.

I think a lot of parents now a days are going crazy, and forgetting to give their children responsibilities. I am pretty scared for the future!

 

[capt_jordi]

I had a few when I was little but it was mostly just keeping my room clean and helping with stuff around the house.

I think that its great for kids to have some chores, but I think its also very important for kids to have a childhood! Part of being a kid is running around and playing in the summer and playing in the snow!

 

[Willowy]

I don't think kids under a certain age (maybe 12 or so. . .depends on the kid) SHOULD be running lawn mowers or snowblowers or other types of machinery. That's just dangerous. Shoveling snow off the roof could also be dangerous, but then I spent a lot of time on roofs as a kid (for fun!) so I can't say too much about that!

Some of my friends had chores that we just didn't DO at our house, like setting the table or making their beds (I guess my parents never saw the point?). And we didn't do yardwork, because we lived on a military base, and the maintenance men took care of that. So I don't know how to compare any chores I had to what other kids had.

The kids I know now seem to have the same range of chores that my friends and I had. Some parents makes their kids do everything, which is a real copout, IMO (THEY'RE the parents, they're supposed to be responsible!). Other parents don't make their kids do anything, which isn't good either. But most kids do seem to have some chores to do.

 

[bastetservant]

I'm an elementary school teacher. Children today have too much time to play. They hardly have any homework. They don't do chores. They get home at 2:30 and go to bed after 9 p.m. They do little but play video games and watch TV. They hardly play outside. That's why U.S. students are so behind the rest of the world and there is a huge obesity problem with children.

When I was a child I lived in apartments. However I had to clean my room, put away my laundry, and clean the bathroom every Saturday. By the time I was 11 I had to do the dishes every night. Sometimes I had to start dinner. And there were plenty of miscellaneous stuff I had to do, too, such as run to the store. My allowance depended on me doing the chores.

Oh, and I had to clean the cat litter box, too.

And I grew up in Evanston, Laurie. Maybe it's midwest values.


Robin

 

[carolina]

Not really... We had a live-in maid and and another one who would come once a week for heavy cleaning, so there was nothing really for us to do. On Sundays, when she was off, we had to make our beds.
If we wanted any extra money aside from our allowance, then we would have to work for it, washing the cars, for example.
Our chore was to have good grades at school and do well at sports.
Boy, did I have an intensive course when I got here at 22 to live with roommates and bathrooms to clean!

 

[stephanietx]

We (my brother and I) had chores when we were young because we had MEAN parents.

We had to help clean the house (dust, vacuum, mop), wash dishes, sort laundry and fold/hang up clean laundry, and we had to help fix meals. On top of all that, we had to help outside (rake, mow, pull weeds) and we were responsible for keeping our rooms clean to my mother's standards. She came from a military background, so that meant spotless! I was pushing a lawn mower by the time I was in 3rd grade and driving the riding lawn mower as soon as I could reach the pedals.

We didn't get an allowance for all this either. We did get paid for our grades, though. My parents believed that our "work" was to do well in school, so we were paid according to how well we worked which was reflected on our report cards.

 

[bastetservant]

Oh, yeah, setting the table, clearing the table, making beds, cleaning my room, etc. Forgot all that. I'm sure there were more regular chores.

We had a cleaning lady who came once a week and also did all the ironing. For the rest of my life, I've missed her. But even with her, I had a lot to do on weekends. My mother worked, though, and long hours.

I don't think it was unfair. I never minded except sometimes I wanted to do the chores on my time, and not my mother's. She always won those battles. And I hated doing the dishes right after dinner. When I was in high school, and I went out with my friends every night, I had to do the dishes before I could go. My boyfriend would be waiting at the door for me to get them done, many a night.

And I was expected to get very good grades. Also, I had ballet class 3 times a week and piano and flute lessons once a week. Besides homework, I had to practice the instruments every day.


Robin

 

[starryeyedtiger]

My mom has owned her own cleaning business for ages; so she raised all of my sisters and I to keep the house tidy and there were a lot of times when we went and helped her out with her work. I never complained because I saw how hard she struggled as a single mom, and going to work with her on occassion and SEEING how hard she worked to keep other homes/businesses clean gave me respect for her in that aspect. All of my sisters and I were responsible for chores around the house when we were little, no exceptions. I have 3 older sisters and all of their children are also responsible for chores in their homes (as well as my great nieces/nephews too.). My aunt raised her family the same way. I like that responsibility in that aspect was handed down in my family a bit. Everyone keeps their homes nice and tidy and everyone pitches in as a family to work together.

 

[laceface]

Originally Posted by stephanietx

We (my brother and I) had chores when we were young because we had MEAN parents.

We had to help clean the house (dust, vacuum, mop), wash dishes, sort laundry and fold/hang up clean laundry, and we had to help fix meals. On top of all that, we had to help outside (rake, mow, pull weeds) and we were responsible for keeping our rooms clean to my mother's standards. She came from a military background, so that meant spotless! I was pushing a lawn mower by the time I was in 3rd grade and driving the riding lawn mower as soon as I could reach the pedals.

We didn't get an allowance for all this either. We did get paid for our grades, though. My parents believed that our "work" was to do well in school, so we were paid according to how well we worked which was reflected on our report cards.

I love the idea of getting paid for grades. Unfortunately my parents did not. My dad didn't accept anything that wasn't a 100%. You could get a 97%, and have the highest grade in the class, and he still wanted to know why it wasn't higher. I would have loved to have gotten money for my A's. Other kids would for a single A, where as I would have straight A's and not a cent. Not cool.

 

[ldg]

Originally Posted by capt_jordi

I had a few when I was little but it was mostly just keeping my room clean and helping with stuff around the house.

I think that its great for kids to have some chores, but I think its also very important for kids to have a childhood! Part of being a kid is running around and playing in the summer and playing in the snow!

I still had plenty of time to run around, play, and be a kid. We lived a few blocks from Lake Michigan, and swimming after finishing weeding the yard or edging the sidewalk was probably that much more appreciated.

Originally Posted by Willowy

I don't think kids under a certain age (maybe 12 or so. . .depends on the kid) SHOULD be running lawn mowers or snowblowers or other types of machinery. That's just dangerous. Shoveling snow off the roof could also be dangerous, but then I spent a lot of time on roofs as a kid (for fun!) so I can't say too much about that!

I do think it depends on the kid - I'm not sure I agree with an age thing at all. I was using power tools from a pretty young age - my dad didn't think the girls should be treated differently than our brother, and he had to do dishes and help with the laundry and stuff too. I do remember using the power saw to cut my own shelves, staining them, and finishing them with a varnish. I had to use a ladder to install the brackets - but I was definitely younger than 11, because my sister and brother still lived at home.

My dad was big into model railroading, and the club he belonged to needed a home for a while - and they used our basement. I LOVED soldering the circuit boards (used to control the switches). For my 10th birthday, I got a toolbox with my own tools in it (including a soldering iron).

I can't imagine why I shouldn't have been allowed to do those things because I wasn't a certain age. And maybe it was being given all those chores that made me responsible enough to do those things.

 

[ldg]

Originally Posted by bastetservant

<snip>
And I was expected to get very good grades. Also, I had ballet class 3 times a week and piano and flute lessons once a week. Besides homework, I had to practice the instruments every day.


Robin

Oh I forgot about that! I had ballet, piano and for a while there recorder lessons - which also meant practice.

And homework. I definitely learned quickly that it was best just to do it all and finish it. I totally became someone not into procrastination.

I remember playing a lot with the neighborhood kids - and sledding, and snowshoeing, and gazillions of outdoor games and board games, the beach, frozen lake ice hikes....

 

[ldg]

Originally Posted by stephanietx

We didn't get an allowance for all this either. We did get paid for our grades, though. My parents believed that our "work" was to do well in school, so we were paid according to how well we worked which was reflected on our report cards.

We did get an allowance - and we didn't get paid for grades! But just before 5th grade, my mom took me to the bank and opened a checking account for me. My allowance became annual, so I could learn how to budget. I was responsible for buying ALL of my own things - school supplies, clothes - and anything else (like if I wanted to use a different shampoo) and whatever entertainment or treats. I was working to earn money from a young age - doing other people's lawns, raking &etc, ironing neighbor's shirts... then babysitting... and the minute I turned 14 I got my first "paycheck" job.

 

[ut0pia]

Nope, I've never had chores as a kid. My parents were really serious about my grades though, and enrolled me in all kinds of after school courses, I felt as though studying was my chore (I know, I was spoiled to see it that way, but as a kid you don't really think of the future and don't realize studying is for your own benefit, not anyone else's, and now that I'm older and I realize it I'm so grateful for the way I was raised)

 

[nurseangel]

I cooked a lot at home. My mom doesn't like to cook, so she was thrilled that I loved it. I don't remember how old I was when I started preparing full meals for the family, but I'd say it was my early teens.

 

[ut0pia]

Originally Posted by laceface

I love the idea of getting paid for grades. Unfortunately my parents did not. My dad didn't accept anything that wasn't a 100%. You could get a 97%, and have the highest grade in the class, and he still wanted to know why it wasn't higher. I would have loved to have gotten money for my A's. Other kids would for a single A, where as I would have straight A's and not a cent. Not cool.

My grandparents gave me money for grades, and it drove my parents mad!! They thought it was teaching me a bad lesson, and I had to understand that the grade itself is the reward, not anything monetary. I remember overhearing them asking my grandparents not to give me money for grade, and how I was secretly hoping my grandparents win the argument

And they did...

I never did get an allowance, but within reason I got the things I asked for my parents to buy for me. They just preferred to buy me things rather than trust me to make those decisions, because I'd have spent it all on junk food, which was allowed in really limited quantities at the house.

 

[GoldyCat]

With three girls and one boy we all had chores assigned equally. My mother grew up in a family with seven boys and two girls, and the girls were the ones who had to do all the work. She said no son of hers was ever going to be raised expecting his sisters to do everything for him. (My brother actually had to teach his wife to cook when he first got married.)

On Saturdays we each had to clean our own room plus one other room in the house. The four of us rotated through kitchen, living room, dining room, and bathrooms. Cleaning bathrooms is still my least favorite part of housekeeping. Mother did an inspection at noon. If you didn't have your cleaning done you were grounded for the weekend, and you still had to finish the cleaning before you went to bed Saturday night!

We also shared cooking and dishwashing jobs. Each evening we had one cook, one cook's helper, one dish washer, and one dish dryer.

My mother also did a lot of cooking and cleaning in between, so she definitely wasn't putting her work off on the kids.

We all pitched in with the outdoor yard work. I don't remember that being specifically assigned. My dad always did a lot of the outdoor work, but he didn't start helping with the housework until after all the kids had moved out.

We got a set allowance, which we had to learn to budget. There was no extra payment for getting good grades or doing your chores.

 

[stephanietx]

We had all kinds of time to play and do fun "kid" things. There were lots of kids that lived on our street and we'd get together in the afternoons after school and play in the cul-de-sac. Both my brother and I were involved in sports and we had to keep our grades up in order to play. We also were in bed on school nights by 8:30 (in elem. school), 9:00 in middle school, and 10:00 in HS.

 

[strange_wings]

Yes and no. Did I have a specific list of chores to do? No. Did I do what I was told to do? Yes.

I was an odd kid, though, not including my room (which I would spend days making complex scenes/sets in), I would randomly clean without being told. Sweep, mop, dust, clean the entire bathroom - I remember clamoring around on top of the counter just to be able to reach all of the bathroom mirror, I would climb around on the dining room counter to reach the cabinets above which I kept sorted. Feeding the pets, washing out their dishes, and often scooping the litter box fell to me, too. I couldn't dump the box on my own at four, but I would wash it out while an adult took the litter to the trash. I'd help fold laundry, everyone did and still does take advantage of the fact that I automatically sort and pair socks.

I blame my clean freak of a father, it ingrained into me.

I tried to help my mom cook but she didn't want me in the kitchen.

I learned to cook by watching and just teaching myself.

 

[my4llma]

Originally Posted by LDG

My brother, sister and I were responsible for ALL shoveling, lawn mowing, leaf raking, garden weeding... and we set the table for all meals, did all the clean up, and helped do all house cleaning. We were right there, helping to scrape the house and paint it, switched screens for storm windows - you name it, it was our "chore."

Wow you should have called the police and reported them for breaking the child labor laws!