Updated - see end of article. On a recent bike ride through our neighborhood I saw examples like the following. Mom works outside the home, as does Dad. They have two boys, about ages 10 and 12. Guess who does the yard work?

Dad mows the grass; mom sweeps if off the road and walkways. Apparently the kids were told to walk the dog so they got on their bikes, put the dog on a leash and "walked" it for maybe five minutes. Both kids returned home and are now in the house. Meanwhile, Mom and Dad are finishing the lawn activities.

Want to guess when these two boys will become responsible?

Update: On Monday, The St. Paul Pioneer Press carried an article on the necessity of children doing chores around the home, not for money but responsibility and carrying their share of the load. The article includes suggestions and tips. It appears one of the major excuses for not requiring kids to do chores is that parents want to spend time with their kids without "nagging" them. We're not helping our kids be relieving them of all responsibility related to living spaces.

A major chore is picking up toys, games, etc. and no one wants to do it - maybe because there are so many of them. A simple solution here is to gather all the toys, games, etc. and give away at least 50% of them. Problem partially solved.

Labels: housekeeping