SMOM Tips submitted by: Nichole

"The Power of One Thing"

Tip #

Tip

1

We had a problem with dividing the chores at our house and everything seemed to tumble back onto me. I'm not a big believer in lists because different members of the family have different work loads on different days, and if someone has something on their 'list' and it doesn't need to be done that day, or if they can't get to their list because they have too much homework, it's more trouble than it's worth to sort out what's fair. This solution has been working for us so far: I call it “The Power of One Thing.” Everyone has to do one thing each day to contribute to the common good of the family. If any kid asks herself at the end of the day, "What did I do today to contribute? How did I earn my keep today?" If the answer is, "Nothing," they'd better get off their duff and do something or else they have to do two things tomorrow. If they have a big day coming up and won’t have time for even one thing, they can plan ahead by doing two things the day before. We have four girls living with us full time, visits with other parents on weekends. So, one thing times four kids, times five days per week ... that's 20 things! And they hardly know they're doing it. It doesn't have to be a big thing. Empty the trash cans. Hose off the patio. Pull weeds. Empty the dishwasher. Sweep or vacuum just one floor. Water the plants. Move a load of laundry from the washer to the dryer. At first I gave them an assortment of options, but I wanted them to learn to identify what needed to be done to run a household. They are doing a good job of that now too, and I don't need to spell out the tasks so much anymore. The kids are now taking some ownership in the management of the household. I have learned that breaking the chores down into tiny manageable pieces has helped. It has really relieved a lot of pressure for me, too.

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