A little over a month ago I wrote a post about getting my kids and their messes under control. We did good for a little while and then, as I predicted, I became reliably inconsistent. I have been doing a lot of thinking about why I am like this and I want to pose a question. How much should you make your kids do? I have found that I seem to feel guilty for making them do things around the house. I like to tell myself that they need to do it, to learn to be responsible and I know that's the truth. I feel like I should be doing the work, I feel like I am just being lazy when I make them do it. How do I know where to draw that line? When does it cross the line between teaching them and using them? If I could get a clear cut line in my mind I think it would be much easier to follow through. I guess that is the next thing to work out in my mind. Any opinions are welcomed.
I do not think that inspiring your children to have responsibilities around your house makes one lazy or guilt deserved. I know from experience that if you teach your children to have a lot of responsibility then they will know a LOT more when they are older. When I was 18, I didn't even know how to pump gas! Nowadays, they are better off when they are toughened up to "taking care of yourself" knowledge.
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