Paying kids to do housework...

I'm torn between this...my parents divorced when I was young. My mother worked a full time job and I went to school. After school I had to do all chores. Yes, I was a teenager but I still think school should've been my number 1 responsibility. I had to wash the dishes, do the laundry, clean the house, take out the trash. I did not get an allowance or paid for doing these things. I grew to resent her. She was never home and left me there to do it all. I think your kiddos should help from time to time not only to learn how to do things themselves but mostly just out of love. I don't think it's fair to put all the cleaning responsibilities on a child/teenager. What kind of example does that show?

Not a good idea if you bribe the kids with money. It might resulted in a money dependency, like not doing household works because you don't have money to bribe them.

I personally have no issues with this whatsoever. I think it is a good way to teach kids responsibility and a work ethic. It is also important for them to realise that these chores will not always take care of themselves! In turn it may make them more aware of leaving a mess and clean up after themselves etc. It should also help them to appreciate those that DO take care of the housework. As long as parents don't overdo things and exploit their kids by turning them into little slaves I think that this can definitely be of benefit.

my kids do chores and dont get paid for them nor do they get an allowence! they do chores because thats what a family does, they pitch in and help out. it takes a team to run a house! i cannot do a lot of stuff due to a car accident that i was severely injured in. since they dont get allowance, they dont pay for most stuff that they want (no we dont buy them everything they want either!)

Hi diutay, Oh diutay, my mother was the same with us like your, we all had different chores asign to us as well, but this paying kids to do housework is like teaching how to blackmail, to get what you want and everything is money, its disgusting. Haven't parents got any backbones or do they just let kids bully and them and just spoils the kids. I don't know what this world coming to. Kids rules that a fact. Tamara

Well maybe those were just 'perks' for a job well done and not really some sort of a 'salary' in lieu of the job done by kids otherwise. If those are meant to exploit and impose child labor then there are proper authorities that should deal with those people employing children. When my kid was about 3 or 4 years old, I have to extend my 'credit line' to him since every time I pass by the neighborhood store, the owner would tell me to pay my son's debt. And you know what was on the list? - candies and chocolates! So now he's a little bit grown up (13 yrs old) he's not doing those anymore but instead he's volunteering always to be with me when we do the groceries/malling for we will pass by the nearest video shop to buy the latest video game for his xbox. The payment would be a hug, a kiss and 'Mom I will cook dinner.' - lols!

Kids need chores in order to feel part of the family. They need to learn how to take care of the family home so that they know how to take care of their own home eventually. It is also part of learning a good work ethic. I don't believe that kids should be paid for cleaning up after them selves or take care of their own possessions. Who is going to pay them when they leave for college or get out on their own. Who pays mom if she does their laundry. She does it because it needs to be done. Kids do need spending money and they can earn kit by doing extra big chores like cleaning the garage or maybe painting around the house. My kids earned extra funds by mowing the neighbors lawn and such things..

My approach with my kids has always been that their chores are their responsibility & that they do not get paid for doing them. But if one of them is trying to save money for something I will give them money for doing chores that would not normally be theirs. I think kids need to learn that you clean up after yourself, and help each other out in a family because it's the right thing to do not because you get paid for it.

I don't pay them to do housework. I tell them it is OUR home and because of that we should all be equally committed to keeping it neat and clean. We should all pick up after ourselves and work together as a family. They should have pride in our home. If they need extra money , I will give it if I have it to give and they know that. I do give my daughter an allowance ...no matter. It is hers to budget. I think it helps her learn priorities. She can count on it as I count on my paycheck. If I messed up at work, my boss could not withhold my pay...he'd have to find an alternative method of discipline. same here.

Doing chores around the house is how my children get their pocket money. Each day in the evening, they tidy up any mess they have made in the day and they wipe the dishes and sometimes they hoover. They also have to keep their room reasonably tidy. Every Monday I draw their pocket money for the chores out of the bank and I put some away in their savings accounts and the rest they get to spend. One week they will treat themselves to a few sweets and then they save what is left until the next week and when they get their next pocket money we go to the toy shop and they can buy a toy if they have saved enough! As a result they both have healthy bank accounts, they are learning that money only comes to them if they earn it and I am also trying to teach them the value of money when they go and spend. If they are after extra money then they will ask if there are anymore chores for them to do! For me, I think that what I am doing is a good thing for them, I am hoping it will give them a sensible head where money is concerned.

I think its not really necessary to pay them to do so, its should be part of the discipline and training for the kids. They would actually carry the things they have learned from their home someday. Training your kids to be responsible is someting for them and not for you to benefit but i guess kids don't usually see it that way. They usually see houshold chores as a punishment for them. I guess i was like that too when i was a bit younger. hehe :)

I think it will encourage them to learn that jobs wont be done on their own and children will learnt he ability to do these when they are older. Also it will teach about working and saving for things that they want. The amount of children nowadays that say 'I want, I want' and throw a tantrum if they dont get it but because they are throwing a tantrum they get what they want in the first place!! I think children respond positively to rewards be it sweets or money. It will also encourage children to understand money and teach them the value of money!!

LOL this reminds me of when I was a child!my father set up a scheme ,he was always thinking up new ideas and this scheme was an incentive scheme,my sister and I were paid a halfpenny for each extra household task that we did,well at that time the halfpeeny was a big thing to us,and we set about doing every little job we could have ever thought of !and each time we finished a job,we had to mark it off on a sheet of paper with a tick!well pay day was at the end of the week,and when my Father came to pay us out,we had done lots and lots of `overtime` lol,and he had to pay out quite a bit in extra pocket money..well to cut a long story short lol he was a bit taken aback at the amount that he had to pay us and cancelled the scheme there and then ,my sister and I were in tears lol as our potential earning power had gone down the pan!!

I personally believe that we should pay kids to do housework just for them to realize what life is really is. we are all getting paid for doing our job well

I think it is awesome idea promoting kids to be ready for the future .It also give kids abilities to be polished at the sight of mother.Moreover such kids become more independent a sort of for the future.They are not a dependable figure .It also boast the confidence ,self respect of child .I strongly believe in making kids independent.

I don't see anything wrong with this. When I was a kid my parents did that too for a while. But I think once we got a little bit older we stopped doing it. But doing it taught me how to do things around the house. I know if I had children, I would want them to help around the house.

I think that kids should not be payed to do chores like clean their own rooms but they should be payed for things like packing the dishwasher, taking out the trash, walking the dog, vacuuming and sweeping the kitchen (stuff that helps the whole family)

Hi there! Rewarding kids to help in the household chores is a good way of motivating them. But I wouldn't prefer paying them. I would rather buy them things that they need and want. Like perhaps new shirt, shoes, toys or better yet story books and other learning materials such as coloring books and puzzles that they will learn from while playing. I would also not reward them all the time after having done their household chores cause they might have the attitude of always waiting for a reward if they finish doing something. I will also explain to them that the reward is not for obeying me or for doing household chores but for being good kids. They might get the wrong impression that they are rewarded for doing a task. I also not like the sound of paying the kids for doing household chores. They are not house helpers so they shouldn't be paid. But, that's just my own opinion. Ciao!

for me, it is not good to pay the children for doing household chores, if they got used to it, the children will always ask you in return, and it is not good,though it would be good sometimes but not all the times

This is really a good ponder. If we pay the kids for doing housework, it can implement the idea that we need to work hard to earn money. But housework is supposed to be their responsibility, why should we pay them? hmm..im really torn in between. Lucky i am still single now. I still have time to think. :)