Putting Your Kids To Task

Every parent wants their kids to help around their house. After all, there’s a good chance the kids are contributing heavily to the mess in your home. So how can you get them to help? Your first instinct may be incessant nagging and screaming that does very little to contribute to the positive atmosphere of the home. Amy McCready, founder of Positive Parenting Solutions and author of If I have to Tell You One More Time, says “Parents often resort to these things because they don’t have other tools and strategies that work.”

Here are some strategies you can use to save yourself some drama and get your home clean.

1. Give it a New Name

Don’t call tasks “chores.” You may as well say, “Would you please do these terrible actions which require little to no fun?” “Chore” has a negative connotation. McCready suggests that parents call their child’s jobs their “family contributions.” This will help the child relate the task with its value. No longer is the “chore” a meaningless action, it has become a helpful benefit.

2. Create Incentive

It’s a lot easier to get kids into their daily, less-fun tasks when they are followed by something more enjoyable. McCready calls this technique “when/then.” For example, you could say, “When you sweep the kitchen, then you can have ice cream.”

3. Appreciate and Empathize

Kids may not understand the value of their tasks, but letting them know their contributions can really give them a sense of importance in the family. Recognize that the task they’re doing may not be fun, but that you are very thankful for their doing it. How many among us have felt the joy of cleaning a toilet bowl? Zero. There’s hardly anyone out there who enjoys cleaning a toilet. A little gratitude can go a long way.

4. Include Them in Solutions

If your child is terribly unhappy with the task at hand, try including them in a solution, so that all family members are happy. McCready says to say something like, “I notice it’s hard for you to get your family contributions done. What’s not working for you? Everybody helping out is a non-negotiable. Do we need to make tweaks to make it more palatable?”

Source: Parade Condenast

Image Source: Etsty

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