By John Lough
Special to The PREVIEW
You expect your children to actively help in family life, but they often don’t. While there may be multiple requests, or even threats, often it can become such a hassle to get the kids to do what’s asked that many parents just let it slip or do the chore themselves.
They shouldn’t.
Getting kids to do assigned chores can be an important factor in helping them develop in positive ways. Chores are a way for a child to feel part of the family and to gain a sense of contributing toward the family good. They provide early life lessons that makes it easier for a person to feel like an active, contributing member of society later in life.
Chores are also a way to learn about responsibility and about meeting expectations, skills necessary for success in school and the workplace. While family chores may involve simple activities, like making a bed daily, helping with the family pet or taking out the trash, the lessons derived from successfully completing such activities carry over into later life.
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