Chores, Compensation, and Teaching Kids The Value of Time

Chores and allowances are things that have a wide range of opinions. This summer I'll be posting on summer chores and every day chores for kids, so I thought it would be a great time to lay out my opinion on chores in general. I believe that chores are a way to teach our kids how to be responsible humans, and to teach them the value of their time. It's because of this philosophy that I break down chores into two categories: basic living skills, and helping out.

Basic Living Skills

Chores that fall into this category are ones that you would expect of any person taking care of their personal space. A good way to visualize it is to think of what you would need to do if you lived in a dorm in college. If your kids have their own bedroom, they are responsible for the upkeep of that room. Do they have their own bathroom? That's their responsibility too. If your kids share a bathroom, there are a few ways to tackle the chore. Offer them the options of taking turns each week, or maybe one wants to clean the toilet every week and the other clean the shower. Here are some of the weekly basic living skill chores my kids are responsible for:

• Laundry

• Vacuuming

• Mopping

• Dusting

• Cleaning bathroom

Helping Out

Paid chores are things that you would like to get help with, but don't fall in their basic chores. Here are the lessons that I am trying to teach my kids with these type of chores:

1. Your time is valuable

2. Money doesn't come from nothing

3. Know your worth

I am a strong believer that kids doing housework, beyond their living space, is something they should be paid to do. Your kids didn't choose to buy your house and have extra work associated with it. The whole point of the exercise is for them to make a decision; do I want to spend my time watching TV and playing video games, or do work to earn money. That really is the question that all of us face, right? Do I want to take that extra consulting work, or do I want to take a break and binge-watch something? Their time is valuable. If you don't treat it that way when they are younger, they might not understand that when they get older.

You have to work in order to earn money. No way around it.

For these types of chores, I like to offer enough incentive that they will help you. What I usually do is take going rate for somebody to help with that if I were to hire a professional and cut it in half. As an example, our homeowner is association requires us to pressure wash the driveway and sidewalks once a year. Normally this might cost me around $400 because of the size of our driveway. I would offer the kids $200 to do that work instead of me doing it myself, or paying someone else. I also explain how I came to the rate of pay to them, so that they know I value their time.

Over the summer, I'll be breaking down different chores that you can offer your kids as an opportunity for extra cash, and ways for you to keep track of it all. The one thing to remember is to set your kids up for success as adults with every thing that you do!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-eEIJqD6yY