Household chores as a kid

[viper37]

And how will/have you handle(d) the concept of "chores" with your kids?

When I was young, my father was working outside the city all week long and the saturdays were devoted to chopping and taking out wood from his woodlands.
During the week, I had to do the lawnmower, make sure the wood was ready for winter, bring it inside, do some minor landscaping, help my mom with cooking, clean my room way too often for my tastes, help my grandfather (farmer), and various stuff in and out of the house like helping my mother clean the dishes.

If I have kids one day, they'll do some of this stuff too, or at least help me do it.

[Richard Hakluyt]

I learned at an early age that if you do a job poorly enough the first time, you won't be asked to do it again.

Didn't work for Dubya though, did it?

[garbon]

Out of curiosity for those who answer, were there "boy" chores and "girl" chores ?

(For my part, it was standard to do things around the house - dishes, vacuum, dusting, etc. - but we didn't cook, unless it was a "family" affair).

Not in my house, but then we never had particularly strict gender roles.

None of us seemed to have had a problem with it...well maybe my father as he has come to resent that he was a stay at home dad.

[Martinus]

I meant you turning out ab-normal and all. 

[garbon]

I meant you turning out ab-normal and all. 

Yeah probably would have better to have been raised in an environment that would have made me ashamed and left me a closet case for most of my 20s.

[merithyn]

I learned at an early age that if you do a job poorly enough the first time, you won't be asked to do it again.

My kids have tried that for years. Hasn't worked for them yet.

[LaCroix]

never had any. it's been a bit difficult since moving out

[DGuller]

Everybody had a chore.  It was basically each one did their own room, and then did one of the general tasks everywhere else (dishes/putting stuff away/dusting/vacuuming).  I was the vacuumer.  There was really no individual avenue of appeal to my mom;  it was so understood that everyone was going to be a part of it, that the only salvation was if we all collectively got a reprieve, and skipped a week by executive decree on the day of the cleaning.

[Zeus]

I learned at an early age that if you do a job poorly enough the first time, you won't be asked to do it again.

My kids have tried that for years. Hasn't worked for them yet.

Kids, being kids, will always find some way out of chores.

[merithyn]

Kids, being kids, will always find some way out of chores.

Not mine. I love them too much to let them beat me in this regard.

And I have no problem using a yardstick on their asses when necessary. 

[Barrister]

Kids, being kids, will always find some way out of chores.

Not mine. I love them too much to let them beat me in this regard.

And I have no problem using a yardstick on their asses when necessary. 

[merithyn]

No marks = not child abuse.

[Monoriu]

Our Filipino maid did all chores.  My one and only chore was to excel academically. 

[PDH]

Chores are for plebes.

[Rasputin]

hmmm.