Chore Charts Are for Dummies

Okay they’re not really. They’re probably just for Classics and Funs as chore charts are detailed activity that requires maintenance and follow through, and as an Organic Freedom with a Smart Freedom husband, we have never been able to get our lazy, kind, inquisitive, lovely children to do any chores on a regular basis. I also don’t remember my Organic Structure or our Smart Structure father getting us to do chores either. In fact I kind of looked down on them for not being able to bring us into line. So I guess karma is a bitch. However, I’m also sure my Classic sister has a completely different memory. I bet we did have a chore chart and I just smugly ignored it and Kelly actually did all the work. But this is a kid who would keep her room neat without anyone asking.

Frankly I’ve long since given up on my kids’ rooms. Only one of my kids cleans her own room and she’s definitely a Classic Structure, who does her own laundry and is always talking about how she needs to clean her room, but God forbid I ask her to keep the common areas tidy. I can still get the 5 year old to do clean up of her toys as long as I do it with her, but a daily clean up seems to be impossible for both of us. Maintenance is really hard for Organic Freedoms like myself and Smart Freedoms like my husband. And that includes the maintenance of making our children do chores.

So what motivates you and your kin to do chores? I’m kind of at a loss here. The only “chore” I did regularly was mow the lawn because I got a crisp 10 dollar bill for it. So I suppose we could start bribing them with cash and hope for the best. The 5 year old still thinks chocolate coins are money so we could just write off the older kids and work on the little one. I think, in the end, that’s what my mom did with us too. Once Kelly and I were off to college, poor little brother was stuck with all the chores.