How much do your kids help around the house?

[WineIsMyMainVice]

AIBU to ask how much your kids do to help out around the house, or generally do for themselves? I.e getting dressed, toothbrushing, clearing the table etc...

Mine have just turned 7 and 5, and wondering if they should do more....

Not at all. But they are nearly 2 and nearly 4. The older one can sometimes be cajoled into picking up some toys but then goes on about how helpful she is for a good hour afterwards.

I still have to chase my 15 year old to get out with all clothing/school equipment and hair & teeth brushed 🙄

However I have trained him how to clean the bathroom to a satisfactory level, so swings and roundabouts.

mine are only 2 and 5, 5yo helps clear the table, sometimes cleans the mats of crumbs, puts her clothes in her drawers and dirty in the hamper.

both help tidy toys, put own rubbish in bins and shoes, hats etc away in their boxes.

Lay table, clear their plates, make their own lunches the night before (Tuesday-Thursday), wash up/dry, put their laundry basket in front of washing machine, put their clothes away, sweep up after their mess in the living and dining room, tidy their bedrooms (which can fall on deaf ears with dd1).

They’re 10 and 8.

My 5 yo has just been added to the dishwasher emptying rota at his request!! A week each of emptying the whole load. Filled by each user..
Own beds made and stripped.
Own clothes in baskets.
Ddogs out for older dc 10 +
Own rooms basically kept tidy, overhauled with assistance!
Teens rooms left until need fumigation...

DS is 3.5
He is good at putting stuff in the bin/kitchen/dishwasher after dinner (knows the plastic stuff goes in the sink and the metal in the dishwasher)
Tidying up toys before bedtime (he gets a sticker which helps!)
Putting clothes in the laundry hamper.
Always wants to help cook and garden...varying degrees of actual 'help' though!

Things to improve-
Putting shoes in the shoe basket and not just kicking them off and abondoning them.
Putting on jumpers and long sleeved tops - sleeves are hard!

DS(13) tidies his room, does the washing up and takes the bins out.

They do a fair amount, everyone pitches in and everyone feels happy about it. Have occasional moans and groans but who doesn't moan about housework! Teeth cleaning , showering ect they just do it.

How old are yours @Goldenhoops?

My 3 are 10, 13 and 15. 10 year old clears dining table and lays table and sometimes does bathroom or dining room cleaning. Sometimes helps with garden. He also occasionally makes dinner (loves to cook).

13 year old does dog related chores except walks and is responsible for front two rooms, tidying, sweeping and mopping.

Eldest looks after our caged pet, washes up and puts the washing on. She has fewer chores most of the time as she has a lot more homework.

Mine are expected to tidy up after themselves. They know how to do lots of household tasks as have been shown but they aren’t expected to do them routinely. I prefer they do their homework and relax after. They will be adults soon enough and will have years of housework ahead of them.

My 3 year old helps unload the dishwasher, puts her clothes in the wash basket at then end of the day, puts toys away, helps sweep up in the garden and put cuttings in the bin

WineIsMyMainVice
Ds1 20 at uni now
Ds3 10
Ds1 10
Ds4 6
Ds5 2.6

My 15 year old can unload the dishwasher (well) and load it (terribly). He is great for sending to round up hangars and similar. He takes the recycling out and brings the bins back in. He is pretty good at hanging out laundry and sorting and folding clean stuff. He can hoover and spot clean the kitchen floor.

He did a fantastic job of hedge trimming a while back.

I'm rubbish at remembering to get him to do jobs though.

Well, my 7yo left the front door wide open today and then claimed he didn't know how to shut it, so...

At 7 and 5 definitely get them doing as much as sensible. Much easier to start getting them into the habit of everyone pitches in, than when they are teens!

At 7 and 5 mine got themselves ready, got their own breakfasts and had a good attempt at packing school bags (I checked/helped). They were also responsible for putting all toys away before bedtimes and took it in turns to lay the table.

Now at 15 and 13, they are responsible for keeping their own rooms clean and tidy, lay table and clear up after dinner alternate days, do their own ironing (well some of it), cook 1 meal a week, and pitch in when we do our fortnightly family clean up (we clean for an hour on a Sunday morning; everyone helps). They do seem to have forgotten how to wash though :)

2 year old: bring his cup back into the kitchen and help tidying up
6 year old: bring plates back into kitchen, make his own sandwiches a couple of times a week, help with batch cooking on sunday (stirring, cutting vegatables), help with big clean on saturday (either hoovering or window/surface cleaning)

3yo
Puts toys away
Puts his nappies in the bin
Takes rubbish to the bin
Takes pots to the sink
Tries to make his bed
Gets dressed/brushes teeth without much of my help
Will wipe us spills he makes
Will bring charger/coat/shoes and things like that for whoever asks him
Feeds the cats
Will help bring shopping inside and opens all the fruit and puts it in the bowl
Will put laundry in the machine and turn it on after I've filled the drawers with powder and softener
Will help carry wet washing for me to put on the maiden
Puts shoes/coat away after coming inside
'Helps' cook (he will stir things, put packets in the bin, get things from fridge/cupboards, bring me spoons/forks etc)
He will get his own snacks and pour himself his own drinks
If I ask him to wipe down radiators or shelves etc he will do it (not up to my standard but he will still try bless him)

I think if they are able to help then you should get them to help. Before you know it they will be fully functioning adults that can't turn an oven without googling it.

My 10yo son hoovers and mows the grass (only a small garden) - he is very helpful as he's motivated by pocket money so will offer to do extra jobs to earn extra!
8yo son wipes table after dinner and sweeps the kitchen - not very well I might add, he's pretty lazy and huffs and puffs doing it.
They both make their own beds, put their clothes away once ironed and they are meant to tidy their room! They also help wash or dry up when needed. Oh and they shower themselves etc.

Almost 2yo daughter loves helping with everything lol. She helps put washing in the machine and hang the clothes on airer after, she helps unload the dishwasher, she will wipe up spills she makes, tidies up her toys, puts stuff in bin or recycling, likes to use a duster and help sweep (more of a hindrance!) Hopefully she will continue to be helpful lol.

My 5 year old has just started helping. Gets dressed/teeth by herself and recently helping me put the cutlery away and taking hers and her brother’s cutlery out. Son does nithis as he’s 3.

Mine have always helped out. Makes it much easier now I have two adults still living at home. At 7 and 5, it was just tidying their own stuff up at the end of the day, putting dirty clothes in the laundry basket and getting their uniform ready.
The rest of the time, they just helped when it appealed. By 17 and 15, expectations had changed, and now it’s a house share.

7 year old sets his alarm, gets up, teeth and dressed before coming downstairs. He makes his bed and opens his blinds. Tidies playroom at the end of every day, dusts the skirting boards round be house when asked. Keeps his room tidy and puts his clothes in washing bin etc. Feeds dog when asked, sorts out sports kits, packs bag for holidays but with lots of support and prompting.

DS (15) cooks very well, he usually cooks a dinner at least once a week. He washes his own cadet uniform, irons it, polishes boots etc. He will put washing on if asked.

DS and DD1 (12) can both cut the grass.

DD2 (8) doesn’t do the above, but they all share turns in unstacking the dishwasher, re-stacking, setting the table, clearing everything through. The6 can all feed the cat and dogs, and all have to help clean the dog poo from the garden.

DD1 is starting to cook, but needs guidance.

Their bedrooms however, are a pigsty.

At 7 and 5, mine were starting to be helpful.

Setting table.
Clearing table to dishwasher.
Making bed (ie pulling up duvet) each morning.
Dirty clothes into hamper each evening
7yo fed rabbit each day and helped clean him out once a week
Cleared bedroom floor into toy baskets on Saturday am so hoover could get round.

I was going to say not much but a lot of the things others have listed I wouldn't classify as "help". They aren't "helping" me, these tasks aren't "my job" or my DH's, they are just normal everyday things which have to be done. Our boys are 6, 8 and 11 and things like tidying their bedrooms, putting dirty laundry in the washing basket, putting their clean laundry away, clearing their plates, tucking their chairs away after dinner, hanging their coats up, putting their shoes away are just normal everyday tasks that they as civilised human beings are expected to do. The last thing I want is for them to think they are doing me some sort of favour! Otherwise I'd be at risk of raising hopeless lazy snowflakes. Obviously if I specifically ask them to help me hold something or fetch something or feed the cat etc then that's different but day to day stuff is just expected (within their age appropriate capability of course).