Many hands make light work (Part 2)

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(part 2  To read part one, please scroll down)

In our family, as soon as you can walk, you start doing chores. We started with very easy jobs, like bringing toys to Mummy, helping fold facecloths, and letting them sweep with the little toy broom while I was sweeping with the big broom. Toddlers LOVE to copy Mummy.  As they get older, more age appropriate chores are added.  By 2 1/2, by kids were washing their (pre-rinsed) plastic dishes and non-sharp cutlery.  They could put their toys away,  throw things in the garbage, and "help" Mummy push the vacuum cleaner.  By 4 yrs old, they were starting to wash the proceline plates, set the table and peel carrots.  Each chore was explained and done under the suppervision of a parent until they had acheived competancy.  (Notice I said competancy...nobody expects perfection at this age).  Now, at 17, my son mends his own clothes, can do a wash, helps fix the car, indoor housework, outdoor yard work, minor household repairs and is learning to cook.  (My daughter is already out on her own and she is a great cook).  This imortant thing is that my children have never recieved an allowance for doing these chores.  They were expected to do it for a thank you (and a kiss or hug) because they are a part of this family, and thus need to offer willing hands to share in the work load.  The benefits of working together as a family are awesome.  When we work together, we spend less time on chores and have more free time to do things as a family.  No one person is burnt out and my children learn to respect both items, and the work that others do in this world. 

As the children grew older,  I would often give a thank-you gift of an item or some cash for an extra hard job that needed doing.  If the kids wanted extra spending money, we would brain storm ways of earning it.  We've had yard sales, lemonaid stands, hired themselves out to neighbours for mowing lawns and raking, babysitting, etc...  For the last few years, my son has found casual jobs working for a plumber, welding shop, construction, making musical instruments, and has just purchased his first car with his savings.  He has an amzing work ethic and has actually "worked" himself out of a job a time or two.
Does he always like doing chores?  Of course not, but he shared his philosophy with me. "You start out thinking "Oh chores are fun" and then you get older and think, "Oh chores are so boring", but then you get older and realize that they're not that bad and you just learn to do them without complaining."

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Many hands make light work (Part 1)

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I was having a conversation with my son and I mentioned an acquaintance he had made a few summer ago, up in Ontario.  He replied that the teen had changed from a nice young man and had become quite demanding and refused to do anything without being paid at least $20.00.  Apparently, he wouldn't take out the garbage, mow the lawn or rake the yard with a promise of cash.  Sadly, this story is not an isolated case.  I overhear more and more kids whine about the amount of work they are expected to do (almost none) for an large amount of cash (that they are unhappy with) and think they deserve more money to do less work.  In fact, I think there is a national epidemic of young people adopting this attitude of a "sense of entitlement".

They were young when their parents were working hard and sacrificing to acquire things, and by the time they are older, these teens have become used to living at a certain comfort level.  These kids get used to more "haves" and don't have to learn how to do without.  They receive atomatic allowances that are not earned.  They whine for name brand stuff and parents give in to their whims. When these young people get out of school, they expect top paying jobs, grand houses with two and a half baths, stainless steal appliances and all the bells and whistles. *sigh*

When our children were very young, my husband and I were attending university and fit every stereotype of the starving student.  In fact, if it weren't for the help of my parents, we probably would have been both homeless and starving.  As God blessed us with increasingly better jobs, the chance for my husband to go back to school, and we saw our bank accounts start to grow, we made a conscious choice to implement several changes. One was that Christmas would continue to be modest.  Extreme spending in no way Glorifies God. (I once had friends who thought you needed to spend at least a thousand dollars on each person), we would commit to tithing, and everybody would lend a hand in maintaining our household.
(to be continued...)

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Short but sweet marriage advice

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Two secrets to keep your marriage brimming



1. Whenever you're wrong, admit it,


2. Whenever you're right, be quiet.

                                                                                               Anonymous

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Quote

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Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.

                                      William Morris

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Frugality is beautiful

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"Frugality is one of the most beautiful and joyful words in the English language, and yet one that we are culturally cut off from understanding and enjoying. The consumption society has made us feel that happiness lies in having things, and has failed to teach us the happiness of not having things."    
                                          Elise Boulding

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