How do you divide household chores with teenagers in your home?

[QuaintOrca]

How are chores divided up in your household?

Here's mine:

Single parent ds16 and ds13

Bedroom responsibilities including own laundry

Every Saturday morning we do chore roulette and roll a dice to see who gets what.

I do most of the cooking ds both have one cook night a week where they have to decide in advance what they are cooking and I'm on hand to help. The kids take turns washing up after dinner.

Very little. DS (16) has to feed the cats at tea time and that’s it.

He does manage to put his dirty washing in his laundry basket.

What sort of things can you kids cook? I think I’ll try and get him to have a go in the kitchen in the summer hols.

DH doesn’t cook other than put things in the toaster or microwave, but I don’t cook any meals for him either.

Mine do own bedroom and own laundry, recycling and rubbish bins, some family meals, feed cat, random cleaning tasks that I delegate from time to time, empty dishwasher from time to time.

They take it in turns to empty rhe dishwasher, do the laundry, sort their own bedrooms, they both cook weekly and DS chops wood every so often. DD walks the dog and and they take it in turns to feed the cats.
DD also cleans the main bathroom regularly as she makes the most mess in there with hair dye!
DD16 and DS13.
We use hello fresh, so tends to be whoever is in first cooks, including me and DH, as they're simple to follow!

I wonder if people really get their kids to do all that. Mine, 15 and 13, tidy up the kitchen with me, take rubbish out sometimes and cook a lot on their free days. No scheduled tasks. And no cats and dogs. I want them to study, do things, visit places, not do housework.

They can cook lots of different dishes, my youngest loves making Curry and my eldest likes making pasta dishes or mexican dishes. They have always helped in the kitchen but giving them a day a week gives them the freedom and responsibility, especially as they need to decide what they are cooking before hand so the ingredients can be added to the food shop.

I agree, thankfully it doesn't take up much of their time and they have plenty of time for their hobbies, groups, sports and study. My eldest is looking for a part time job so that might impact how available he is but equally, life is full of responsibility and it's helping them be ready for independence. Maybe as I have boys I'm aware I don't want them to become like many men and leave all the domestic duties to their partners when they are older. My eldest will be off to uni next year so getting ahead of teaching him how to budget money, cook, clean, reheat left overs etc will mean it's less of a learning curve when he gets there.

Mum to two sons,aged 17 and 20 . Both responsible for feeding the cats, emptying the bins and recycling. They both enjoy cooking and are able to plan the meal and shop for ingredients. Washing up if they are in the mood (eldest) , youngest just cracks on! They do make the occasional hot drink ❤️

Mine both cook. My son is now wanting to cook main meals.
They both clean rooms and bathrooms inc the loo.
Take in turns to hoover upstairs for me once a week.
The other one hoovers out the car.
Washing up and drying up after meals that I cook.
Feed cats. Empty dishwasher. Bring logs in.
Mowing and other garden jobs in the summer.
I'm single too and I've told them I'm not the resident slave. They also need to learn like I did so they can survive in a few years when they leave home.

Oh and folding up laundry once it's dry. And putting away.

Pets, room tidy, dishwasher and to cook a minimum of one evening meal for the family once a week. Plus do their lunches for school. They are 13 and 15 and this has been the rule since youngest starting secondary school at 11. They also have to help with the online shop once a week as I got bored with them moaning about what I bought. They are both reasonable cooks and can put a wash on. I don’t want to bring up adults who can’t do the basics

DS1 19 - is currently at uni but will be back at Easter for the summer.
DD 17 and DS2 15 still at home.

All kids do their own breakfast / lunch unless I am doing something for everyone. When DS1 is home he cooks maybe once a week for the family evening meal. DD cooks a couple of times a week as she enjoys it and DS2 probably once every few weeks.
Kids take it in turns to lay the table and empty/refill the dishwasher.
Kids all responsible for keeping their own rooms tidy. I do the boys laundry but when DS1 comes back I am going to ask him to do his own. DD does her own through choice.
Kids also take it in turns to empty all the bins and sort the recycling on bin day.

Other than that all encouraged to help keep house tidy and be considerate to others - put thier own stuff away, clean the toilet if they make it dirty etc. If doing a big job then we may help them to pitch in such as weeding, big house spring clean etc. DD will often come food shopping with me and help put it all away etc.

I'm surprised at this as I don't think anyone was mentioning particularly long lists!

DS13 and DS11 empty the dishwasher every morning and feed the cat. I make their breakfast but they make their own lunch for school and set the table at dinner time. They also have to keep their room tidy and I get them to put away their clean laundry. They also bring back the empty bins from our laneway and put away grocery shopping. DS1 has also started helping with the hoovering and both have been taught to clean the toilet if they make a mess!

I'll probably try and teach DS1 to cook a bit during the summer.

I think chores are an important life lesson for kids and teens - teaches them to be self sufficient and makes them aware of how much goes into running a home!

I agree with you. Everyone in our house has ADHD, and it's very hard for me to keep a routine like that, let alone get the kids to follow it. And I'm a single mum with no stable job or help, and an abusive ex husband, so I'm proud of the little I got in place...

💯 agree. It also teaches them humility and teamwork.

Our kids get pocket money for jobs. I have a chronic health condition so they need to help. They have to do all the dishwashers, clean the sides, tidy, vac and steam the floors. My husband cooks and i do laundry. The kids will also cook.

Lone parent to 16 yo.
For me it’s more that he’s independent and mature, needs me less which enables me to do my own things, or work in the evenings.
This obv means he can do all the house stuff - cook, stay on top of kitchen, bins, manage his laundry.
So rather than a specific list of jobs it’s that I can go away overnight and trust the house will be locked, clean when I get back etc.
We do the grocery shopping together.
If I’m out all day and he’s home I’ll leave a “things that need to be done” list - 1) so they’re done and 2) he appreciates that there’s work involved in running a home.
Me going out should be a break and not mean I do the chores, just much later!

Lest you think I’m sounding smug - he does collect 10s of mugs in his room, ALWAYS seems to splatter the bathroom mirror when brushing his teeth (admiring himself I guess), and leaves the little black rubber bits from the 3G football pitch everywhere.

Mine do own rooms, dishwasher ( alternate days) and keep the living room tidy. Th y cook on occasion and the 14 year old does her own laundry most of the time. It's not much but they need to learn how to be independent. I don't want them going to uni and not knowing how to cook clean and wash up after themselves.

Oh they both regularly go to the shops to pick things up for me too.

A real bone of contention in our house! DD17 suffers with mental health issues, although unfortunately she does use that as an excuse (sorry if that sounds harsh & DH & I do empathise but we can see that she is capable of helping more). The most she does is bring dirty dishes downstairs, empty her bin when it overflows & very occasionally offer to feed the rabbits. She did more when she was younger & I remember praising her for her superior loo cleaning skills! She’s hoping to rent a flat with her GF later this year & we have tried to explain how much she’ll need to do. I can’t describe how awful her room is. It needs completely gutting. We’ll probably get a skip when DD moves out! How she lives in there I have no idea. And don’t get me started on the state of the bed!

You don’t cook for your husband? Wow, that is wild.

My DD16 does the laundry, and I then fold and distribute it to the relevant person. That doesn't sound much, but we're a family of 8 so there's a lot of it! She also feeds 2 x animals and sorts the cats litter tray.

DS13's only designated job at the moment is to feed and clean up after his dog. He will do pretty much anything I ask him to though, or will mow the lawn/clean the car/fix things if they need doing.

They both will go to the shop if I need anything too.

They all bake as and when they fancy it but I make all meals as I love it.

All of our children have jobs to do before and after tea from about the age of 4, plus emptying the bins when need be.

I'm a SAHM, so I see it as my role to do the majority, but it's important that they learn how to run a home.