What chores does your 15 Yr old do? Argument with my son

[Olliphant]

Hello, I am wondering what your 15 Yr old does about the house? Mine does the dish washer everyday and makes us all a cup of tea after dinner. He told me I didn't do the washing often enough today, and it made me so angry! He was telling me this in his clean school clothes, which I washed.....but he had found his gym kit unwashed so was annoyed at me. I told him that he can be responsible for doing his own washing from now on. I also think he should make his own breakfast....also I make his packed lunch every day. .....what do you guys do with your kids?

At 15 I had to wash up (or dry) every day with my sister.
Ironing - weekend, could watch TV at the same time
Peel all potatoes for any meals
Get my own breakfast & make my own packed lunches
Put my own dirty clothes in the laundry basket
Vacuum at the weekend
Sweep the kitchen floor a couple of times a week
Make a lot of my own meals as I was vegetarian
Keep my room clean & tidy

I didn't get any pocket money for this, it was just expected.

DD has been expected to sort her own breakfast, put laundry in the hamper, take dirty plates out & rinse them then place in the sink, since she was 7. She also helps carry the shopping home - she's 9 & we don't have a car. It's a mile, all uphill. She's also learning how to do simple cooking & laundry tasks.

I wouldn't be taking the rudeness! Mine have to do dishwasher, lay table and take turns washing up ( there isn't much). They need to strip and remake beds, hoover rooms occasionally and other areas of house occasionally. All dirty washing in basket or its not done, I don't pick up from floor. I fold clothes, they put away. It's part of being a family, not living in a hotel. They choose to make tea sometimes. Car wash and lawn mowing gets extra pocket money.

10 & 8yo are expected to empty the dishwasher between them every day & make sure their room is tidy at the end of the day. They get their own breakfast a couple of times a week. We also have a button reward system where they get one button per extra helpful task that they do. Tasks include things like wiping the bathroom sink, running the hoover round or folding a load of washing. They can then exchange the buttons for items from The Box - mostly things like craft supplies or fruit yoyos but I also add more expensive things like books or Lego sets I know they want. That way not only do I get some things done around the house but they're also learning about budgeting/saving.

My 13 year old does the dishwasher every day, makes her own breakfast and most lunches and thanks me if I make lunch for her.

I do the laundry but she knows it is her responsibility to make sure everything is in the washing basket and if she leaves her PE kit festering somewhere it is entirely her own fault.

At age 12 my DD was doing her own laundry, cleaning her bathroom, doing the dishes, and taking out the garbage. Sometimes she would vacuum the floors. I also had her doing other little tasks like bathing the dogs, cleaning down cabinets etc.

I have an 18 yo and a 13 yo. Oldest does the dish washer once daily, empty the bins, feed the cats and dogs and hoovers the stairs weekly.

The youngest cleans the bathroom and toilet once a week, does the dish washer once a day, cleans out and feed the Guinea pigs as needed.

Both have to do their own washing and have an allotted slot to do it every week. Both have to cook one simple meal a week ( normally something like toastie and soup or maybe pasta and a tomato based sauce).

They often have to help out one day every month or two when we do a proper deep clean or get ready for hosting for an event etc. They are wonderful kids that don't complain and understand that I'm disabled and so can't carry them.

My 12yo unstacks the dishwasher daily, does about half the sorting of bins and recycling once a week, and hoovers or cleans a bathroom occasionally when we have an "all hands to the pumps" cleaning blitz. I have warned him that by age 16 he will be responsible for a full fair share of the household chores with no further discount for youth, so am actively looking for things to add to this list over the next few years.

Mine does her own ironing, all clothes have to be in the linen basket otherwise they don't get washed, she also tidies her bedroom properly once a week.

In fairness to her, she's really good and will happily clear the table, wash up without being asked so I don't expect that much from her

This thread has me wondering if I'm too hard on my 8 and 10 year olds. I expect them to:
-dishwasher a few times a week
-sort out laundry and put all their own clothes away
-hoover downstairs once a weekish
-make their own breakfast and make breakfast for their 2yo sibling

• every so often they'll dust the living room and do things like clean windows ect. I think it's good for them to learn how to do these things.

I also expect them to help cook. My 8 year old loves cooking and it really won't be long before he could probably make a meal without any help.

me when oldest was 12 ish:

my kids do ..... (insert long list of chores here)..... everyone's kids should help out. Goodness if my 3 year old can help clean windows/do the laundry/build a new house, then your 15 year old can.

16 years later with kids age 19, 17 and 14:
Don't sweat it, try and keep the chores going, but don't make it a hill to die on. Teengers are naturally going to argue the point about everything.
Make it work for you. I had a rule, if you haven't put it in the laundry, it isn't my responsibility to wash it - there is the machine.
It went with - if you haven't checked tomorrow's uniform/pe kit etc the night before, I am not going to help try and get it sorted. 7am 'no pe kit' angst is your problem not mine.

If you have taught them well at age 0-12, they will come back and do it aged 18+.

@steppemum good advise.....I forget how he is teen now and should argue back!

My ds started to do all his own laundry at that age. I made it clear that I wasn't going to nag him to do it. We had a few incidents of damp clothes being worn to school and having to help him with a shirt that went pink. Learning curve.
He used to help with dishwasher and taking the bins out. He had to clean the bathroom he uses.

Picks up dog poo in garden, does recycling, gardening when required. Will take dog out a walk regularly.

When I was 13 I was left to fend for myself in every way. Washing, cooking, ironing, literally everything. When I was 16 and got a job my wages went towards getting the bus to and from school everyday.

I know mine is a dramatic and extreme example and shouldn’t be the case for any teenager but it might not hurt your son to remind him that he has two hands and that if something needs doing it’s not the law that you do it for him.

If my 15 yr old realizes he wants to wear something that's not clean he puts it on to wash himself plus other items that can be washed with it. Mostly I or DH do the laundry but he can easily do it himself and does. He knows not to accuse me or his dad of not washing anything if it wasn't in the wash at the normal times. He can also make a big cooked breakfast, always makes us a cup if he is making one, and pretty much does whatever I ask of him with the occasional moan. Mostly he is fine though.