Cleaning House: A Mom's Twelve-Month Experiment to Rid Her Home of Youth Entitlement by Kay Will Wyma It has inspired and motivated me to get back on track with making my kids do more around the house!
We were all created to work. Genesis 2:15 "The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it." So often I find myself thinking, "it will just be quicker to do it myself", or "they are playing so well together, I hate to break that up", and then proceed to cook, set the table, etc. I also know there will be most likely be resistance that will have to be dealt with if I ask them to help. But I am doing them a disservice when I do things for them that they are capable of doing themselves. They need to learn how to work and they need to know how do work diligently with a good attitude in order to be faithful servants of the Lord when they are on their own someday! They are at the ages that they need to learn responsibility before it is too late!
In her book, Kay has some great suggestions. I like how she focuses on one thing each month for the year. Sometimes I think of all the things they need to do and I dump it all on them at once. It is too much for me to stay consistent with and it is not long that I throw in the towel. So I am going to start like she did. Give them something each month to focus on. So for January, before they get breakfast they are going to have to make their bed, do their Bible study and get dressed. There are so many other things we need to tackle, but we are going to start out the first month with this. This will also include keeping their room picked up and picking up after themselves. We have worked on this, just not to the point of it becoming a habit. Their usual morning ritual is crawl out of bed, come to the kitchen table half asleep and begin complaining about what we are having for breakfast as I am serving it to them. No, after they are ready, they can help me get breakfast on the table. If you are great at getting your kids to help around the house - please share your tips! If you are struggling like I am, join me! When my son says "it's not supper time, there are no plates on the table", I know that I have done too much for them!
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