Chores are a pain, right?

Getting kids to do chores seems like an awful lot of work… for us! Most of the jobs we could assign our kids would get done so much faster, and more correctly, if we just did them ourselves. And that’s not even considering the nagging we’re worried we’d have to do just to get them to try.

So, why bother?

Chores are GREAT for kids.

In addition to teaching the life skills our kids will need to have their own place, they will learn all kinds of problem-solving, persevering, do-the-hard-stuff-to-get-to-the-fun kinds of lessons. Personally, I’ve delegated all kinds of things I don’t enjoy doing, like dog-feeding (5 year old), laundry (7 year old), lunch-packing (9 year old), and dishwasher emptying (11 year old).  So use this summer schedule to figure out one hard thing your child could be doing to help out the whole family, and let them know what a big kid they’re becoming by teaching that skill. You’ll be so glad you did!

ABOUT Dr. G: Deborah Gilboa, MD is a Family Physician, mom of 4 boys, international speaker, and author. She developed the “3 R’s of Parenting” to empower parents to raise respectful, responsible, and resilient kids. Her new book released September 2014, Get the Behavior You Want… Without Being the Parent You Hate! She is a frequent contributor to ABC, CBS, WQED, Huffington Post, Parenting Magazine, and others. Check out her free downloadable tools to make your parenting more effective!

Follow Dr. G on Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Subscribe on YouTube

CONTINUE READING IN THE FAMILY ROOM or VISIT DR.G on BONBON BREAK