Another way to look at it, some kids breastfeed till they are 8 or 9 years old. Who has the psychological problem, the kid who doesn't know anything else or the mother who just can't let go and help their child grow up? Time to re-examine your values instead of advertising them...
Al Greenfield - 12 years ago
If you are still picking up after your 3 daughters at that age, the problem is with you. I hope the strike taught mom a lesson in how to start treating your kids as functional adults, after having completely spoiled them like a nanny.
Makes you think of the famous "tough-parent" nineties, where parents who raised their kids simply by giving money or paying for things without ever having an actual relationship have a way to blame their kids for their own irresponsible value system with fictional narratives of "when I was young" provided by a litany of best-selling books....
This mom should have started teaching her kids responsibility, one step at a time, more than 10 years before her childish "strike". Showing kids you should "strike" as a way to show what bad values you have had in their lives to date and how you decide to cope with that is completely ridiculous but certainly in line with all the previous bad decisions...
M. Peer - 12 years ago
It can be a difficult balance...you don't want to turn your children into slaves, but at the same time you want them to take responsibility for some of the family chores. I was raised in an old fashioned environment where the women handled the housework and the men handled the outside maintenance. So my weekends were spent doing homework and housework and watching TV when the others were complete. When I had children, I vowed that they would be able to have a "life" on the weekends. But I noticed that they were making more work for me and my husband and by the time the housework was done, my weekend was still over. So now, before they go anywhere, all we ask is that they have their room clean and they take turns vacuuming the main living space. They are also expected to help with dishes and put their own clothes away. Laundry??? I don't even let my husband do it...I think he's color blind. lol. They do help fold or else I just tell them that if their brothers end up with their sister's underwear...oh well. That seems to help. It also depends on their ages. We started implementing this when my oldest was 10, and he is now 22, my other children are 14, 12 and 10. The funny part is that my youngest is the one who complains the least about chores. She even goes out with my father to his barn and helps feed the goats and milk the goats and whatever else he needs. She is the one who isn't afraid to get dirty. I tell she should marry a farmer when she gets older and she says she doesn't have to because SHE will be the farmer. As parents,we generally want to to do everything for our kids, but that shouldn't include giving them egotistical tendancies.
John LOFTHOUSE - 12 years ago
So, When do the kids chores start mom?
sandra - 12 years ago
I totally agree in regards to her strike. I see a lot of kids today who seem to have a sense of "entitlement" and not responsible for anything but want everything...there some of those traits in some family members i know. When my kids were younger they were responsible for keeping their rooms clean, a few chores round the house and keeping their grades up. When they became teens if they wanted something bad enough they had to work and pay for it themselves (was mostly clothes like pair designer jeans etc)....now they are responsible members of society, have their own families, and are passing these lessons on to their own children. I have been in the work field a long time and have seen a lot of young workers who just sit on their rearends and do as little as they.can. my dad always said to me you don't get paid for sitting on your backside...there is work to be done ( we had a.family resort up on donner summit way back when and the whole family worked together to make it run). The way i look at it...a child with an attitude that their parents owe them with carry the same attitude through adulthood. A child with no respect for how hard parents work to provide for them will have no respect in adulthood or will have a hard time learning to live in the "real" world when out on their own. Learning about the energy it takes to exist when out of the "nest" begins while they are still in the "nest" !!
D W Spender - 12 years ago
This is child neglect, which is against the law in most places but apparently not in ALberta. A parent has not just an ethical or moral resonsibilty to tend to their children but a legal one. She is probably one of those parents that sends their kids to the toy department to play at Wal-Mart so she can try on clothes. For shame.
Leslie Kerr - 12 years ago
Children are very capable to do many chores for themselves and for the family. It varies wih age and ability. I had my kids doing laundry by 9 or 10. Thye can both clean a house better than I can and can cook (one a lot better than the other). Both are in the 20's, are girls, and are totally independent.
Now I can't wait to have grandchildren!
Ray Bordeleau - 12 years ago
Parents should not have to go on strike. What is required is to begin at the children's early age (three or four) to begin giving small tasks and thanking them for their help when finished. You can wait longer- I know some who are married and have yet to accept responsabilities. Get at it NOW.
Ray Bordeleau - 12 years ago
Parents should not have to go on strike. What is required is to begin at the children's early age (three or four) to begin giving small tasks and thanking them for their help when finished. You can wait longer- I know some who are married and have yet to accept responsabilities. Get at it NOW.
Rochelle Jackson - 12 years ago
My mom died when I was 13. I'd never picked up a broom or done a dish in my life. Our home turned into something like the one in this article before my brother and I and our dad got off out butts and started to take care of ourselves. I vowed that if I died when my (4) children were young, they would now how to take care of themselves and each other. They had to do their own laundry when they were 10 (lots of clothes got ruined). They did dishes - they vacuumed - they cleaned their rooms (I only cleaned them once a year). And they turned into fabulous, responsible, tidy adults. It takes a lot of strength to step back and not do everything for them - a lot!
Another way to look at it, some kids breastfeed till they are 8 or 9 years old. Who has the psychological problem, the kid who doesn't know anything else or the mother who just can't let go and help their child grow up? Time to re-examine your values instead of advertising them...
If you are still picking up after your 3 daughters at that age, the problem is with you. I hope the strike taught mom a lesson in how to start treating your kids as functional adults, after having completely spoiled them like a nanny.
Makes you think of the famous "tough-parent" nineties, where parents who raised their kids simply by giving money or paying for things without ever having an actual relationship have a way to blame their kids for their own irresponsible value system with fictional narratives of "when I was young" provided by a litany of best-selling books....
This mom should have started teaching her kids responsibility, one step at a time, more than 10 years before her childish "strike". Showing kids you should "strike" as a way to show what bad values you have had in their lives to date and how you decide to cope with that is completely ridiculous but certainly in line with all the previous bad decisions...
It can be a difficult balance...you don't want to turn your children into slaves, but at the same time you want them to take responsibility for some of the family chores. I was raised in an old fashioned environment where the women handled the housework and the men handled the outside maintenance. So my weekends were spent doing homework and housework and watching TV when the others were complete. When I had children, I vowed that they would be able to have a "life" on the weekends. But I noticed that they were making more work for me and my husband and by the time the housework was done, my weekend was still over. So now, before they go anywhere, all we ask is that they have their room clean and they take turns vacuuming the main living space. They are also expected to help with dishes and put their own clothes away. Laundry??? I don't even let my husband do it...I think he's color blind. lol. They do help fold or else I just tell them that if their brothers end up with their sister's underwear...oh well. That seems to help. It also depends on their ages. We started implementing this when my oldest was 10, and he is now 22, my other children are 14, 12 and 10. The funny part is that my youngest is the one who complains the least about chores. She even goes out with my father to his barn and helps feed the goats and milk the goats and whatever else he needs. She is the one who isn't afraid to get dirty. I tell she should marry a farmer when she gets older and she says she doesn't have to because SHE will be the farmer. As parents,we generally want to to do everything for our kids, but that shouldn't include giving them egotistical tendancies.
So, When do the kids chores start mom?
I totally agree in regards to her strike. I see a lot of kids today who seem to have a sense of "entitlement" and not responsible for anything but want everything...there some of those traits in some family members i know. When my kids were younger they were responsible for keeping their rooms clean, a few chores round the house and keeping their grades up. When they became teens if they wanted something bad enough they had to work and pay for it themselves (was mostly clothes like pair designer jeans etc)....now they are responsible members of society, have their own families, and are passing these lessons on to their own children. I have been in the work field a long time and have seen a lot of young workers who just sit on their rearends and do as little as they.can. my dad always said to me you don't get paid for sitting on your backside...there is work to be done ( we had a.family resort up on donner summit way back when and the whole family worked together to make it run). The way i look at it...a child with an attitude that their parents owe them with carry the same attitude through adulthood. A child with no respect for how hard parents work to provide for them will have no respect in adulthood or will have a hard time learning to live in the "real" world when out on their own. Learning about the energy it takes to exist when out of the "nest" begins while they are still in the "nest" !!
This is child neglect, which is against the law in most places but apparently not in ALberta. A parent has not just an ethical or moral resonsibilty to tend to their children but a legal one. She is probably one of those parents that sends their kids to the toy department to play at Wal-Mart so she can try on clothes. For shame.
Children are very capable to do many chores for themselves and for the family. It varies wih age and ability. I had my kids doing laundry by 9 or 10. Thye can both clean a house better than I can and can cook (one a lot better than the other). Both are in the 20's, are girls, and are totally independent.
Now I can't wait to have grandchildren!
Parents should not have to go on strike. What is required is to begin at the children's early age (three or four) to begin giving small tasks and thanking them for their help when finished. You can wait longer- I know some who are married and have yet to accept responsabilities. Get at it NOW.
Parents should not have to go on strike. What is required is to begin at the children's early age (three or four) to begin giving small tasks and thanking them for their help when finished. You can wait longer- I know some who are married and have yet to accept responsabilities. Get at it NOW.
My mom died when I was 13. I'd never picked up a broom or done a dish in my life. Our home turned into something like the one in this article before my brother and I and our dad got off out butts and started to take care of ourselves. I vowed that if I died when my (4) children were young, they would now how to take care of themselves and each other. They had to do their own laundry when they were 10 (lots of clothes got ruined). They did dishes - they vacuumed - they cleaned their rooms (I only cleaned them once a year). And they turned into fabulous, responsible, tidy adults. It takes a lot of strength to step back and not do everything for them - a lot!