Should children be paid for doing chores?

[sherryinutah]

As a mom, I was never good at delegating with my children and I wasn't sure how I wanted to handle it all.

My husband had a mother who was a servant to her family...so...I also fell into that role; even though, I now feel that was a mistake.

I now believe that children who are required to do chores; just might, develop strong work ethic.   

Do you believe children should be required to do chores, as a way of earning, the roof over their head and the food they eat?

Do you believe children should be motivated to do chores by offering a reward like cash?

Do you believe children should be excused from doing chores because they need to focus on school, homework and social interaction?

What are your thoughts about all this?

[kimber62372]

I think it shows young children responsibility and also it's an incentive to get them to do the chore. $0.50 cents here and there won't break the bank but I definitely would not give more than $5.00 to do a hefty chore for an older child. By the time they are teenagers they should know better and know what is expected of them.

[Skyisbluetoday]

It's a good learning tool, for their future!

[darkxtsuna]

Back when I was a kid my mother and father would pay me to do chores was not much but It was fun getting the money to spend on pokemon cards 

[gsdoss]

I got a small allowance when I was little,25 cents a week and I did much more work than that but it gave me spending money. So,yes to the kids.

[cathy37]

I do think that children should help out around the house.  I had chores to do when I was younger and it didn't kill me.  I do think that they should be given an allowance if they do their chores.

[hitch0403]

I agree with Kimber.Depends on the chore.Reward them doing a hard days work and dont feel you have to pay them if they just took garbage out or cleaned up after themselves!

Balance it.

[Cbsteffen]

Well, yeah. Why not? They do older people favors.

[Nancy5]

I think kids should be given an allowance because they should be given age appropriate chores.  But school work should come first, and they should be given miminal chores, you are only a kid once. 

[mrisha]

No, they should not.  A parent  should teach their children that if you make a mess you clean it up.  Having chores teaches them that sooner or later they will reach adult hood and and they do not get paid to do chores because they do not have a maid.

[mrrangerrick]

Children should be, it teaches them the value of a dollar and teaches them to earn something (rather than have it handed to them).

[tgreen20]

No then they would expect it, I never paid my children but I rewarded them by showing them how much I loved them.
 

[lvstephanie]

In a way I agree with Mrisha in that often the chores that a kid has to do are related more to themselves (eg laundry, clean their room, etc.). But I can also understand providing money for those chores that are above and beyond what they are expected to do (eg clean the garage, mow the lawn, wash the windows). In this way you are teaching both the need to do everyday chores while also teaching them the value of hard work. If you look closely at the picture that the OP shared, the chores listed seems more like the latter category that I was talking about (eg vacuuming, cleaning the living room) so I'd be in favor of something like this. The one thing that I really disagree with is giving kids an allowance just for being alive. If kids are given an allowance, then there should be several chores that they are required to do before they can earn their allowance.

[Penwoir]

When I was a young girl, my mum used to pay me and my sisters to mow the lawn, do the ironing, cleaning and even make dinner for the family. We used to earn a packet doing chores, and in the process we learnt that doing a thorough job earned you more money, the harder you work the more you earned and we also learnt how to save money, how to spend it wisely (because you knew how long it took to earn the money). Now that I am a mom of two sons, I have the same principles. My kids sometimes sigh and huff/puff when I ask them to do something, even though they get paid, but I want them to know that sometimes we have to take what's on offer. Sometimes we don't have a choice what work we do, and we're not always gonna like everything about that paying job! I have an expectation that the kids will do the job, and they will be rewarded. It trains them for real life. That can't be bad.

[ljrjess69]

yes,,,gives them motivation and some money,,,,,,,,,,,,,