What to Know
According to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, kids as young as three can start doing chores. It’s a time-honored way to give kids responsibility and teach them life skills in the process. And if it means I don’t have to do everyone’s laundry anymore, well that’s just a sweet bonus on top of it all. A man by the name of Carl Randolph shared a chore chat he had in the 90s and posted details about it on Threads. Some of it might seem like a lot in retrospect, but a lot of the chores listed are so necessary for kids to learn at some point.
If the first time I touched a broom and dust pan was in college, when I was forced to clean up after myself, it might be just a tad embarrassing. There is also a certain amount of confidence that elementary and middle school-aged kids get when they learn some responsibility. My 12-year-old hates when I remind him to do one of his daily chores, but it’s also something that I tell him I need him for specifically, and that idea is important for kids. Also, I hate loading and unloading the dishwasher, just so we’re clear.
The chore chart includes daily and weekly tasks and parents are applauding it.
Carl wrote in his post that the chores began when he was eight years old. Some of his chores to be done before school included, per the sheet, making his bed, checking homework for neatness and completion, and eating breakfast.
As far as chores go, those aren’t too bad.
After school chores included changing clothes and putting away other clothes either by hanger or in a hamper, getting homework done, and, on Mondays, taking out the trash and replacing the liners. Again, I’m not seeing any problem here.
The weekend chores are where things got a little busier, of course. Carl’s chores included dusting, tackling the bathroom, cleaning the basement, and doing laundry. As someone whose 12-year-old handles his own laundry, the whole folding aspect is something I can absolutely get behind. And, per the chore list, not all of the chores had to be done every weekend.
Now, other adults and parents want to use the chore schedule themselves.
“As a child whose mom did everything for her, this is amazing,” one woman commented on the post. “I can’t tell you how much I struggled as an adult at first trying to figure out everything I had to do, and also not be overwhelmed by it because my mom did EVERYTHING for us growing up. It just wasn’t realistic. You have to teach kids that this is just a part of life.”
Another person wrote, “Though this is strict, it’s all reasonable. There’s no ridiculous expectations, just a good dad who wants to instill self discipline into his children. There’s love there.”
Carl spoke with Newsweek about the onslaught of responses from other people regarding the chore chart his dad laid out for him when he was a kid. He admitted, “We had fun doing these duties,” in reference to his single dad. But, he added, “He didn’t play about getting business done or breaking rules.”
Score one for a responsible single dad who apparently didn’t inflict any trauma on his kid by forcing him to do daily and weekly chores. Who knew, right?
