Daycare kids=built in maids?

[spinsterwv]

:wtf: That's awful. Get off your lazy ass and clean your own damn house, lady. It's not your children's responsibility! I learned all about independence and hard work without doing any of that.

OT, but are you from or currently residing in WV, spinsterwv?

Yes, currently in WV.

[Closed Womb]

Holy cats. This is the response from the same lady!

Is Lori being trolled?

[Aine]

That is disgusting. I think chores are important but they need to be age appropriate and suit the family needs. I'm currently living with my cousin who is a single Dad of three (he has full time custody, no mother in the picture. The kids are 8, 7, and 4, and all have chores (the 4 yr old started his own chore list on his 4th birthday). They also get a weekly allowance for their chores, which is $1 per year of their age. We stress to them that their chores help me and their Dad get everything done so we can all hang out together as their Dad works full time and I work and am a full time grad student.

We make their chores fun and make them feel really responsible and proud of their work and everything is age appropriate and can be ticked off a list. The 4 year old's chores include making his bed in the morning (he does a lousy job but tries so hard and that's what matters!), picking up his toys before he goes to preschool (although we always lend a hand) and before bed at night, and setting the table for dinner. The 7 and 8 year old have a few more but they're stuff like making their bed, keeping their rooms clean/putting clothes in the hamper, each of them sweep the kitchen one morning a week (us adults do it the other days), helping us clear the dishes and stack the dishwasher after dinner, picking up their own toys before school and before bed. Both of them like to give me a hand with folding the laundry at night if we're all sitting down and watching a movie together but that's not on their list. They're both perfectly capable of putting a load of laundry in as well, which I'm proud of although it isn't something that is ever expected. Oh and they also make breakfast for themselves and their little brother (toast or cereal) in the morning while their Dad and I take our showers and get dressed for work. That maybe sounds like a lot when I list it but we put on music, joke around, and they are really proud of what they do. None of it is really more than cleaning up some of their own mess- never household mess on their own. I also see it as they have a single Dad and I won't be here forever and unfortunately they'll always probably need to be a little more responsible than your average kid because their Dad needs it. They are also super savers of their money and like setting targets to buy themselves something and are so proud of the fact that they bought their latest cool toy themselves.

I actually have a weird chores conundrum that kind of relates to this. I nanny for two girls a few days a week- pick them up from school, take them to afternoon activities, cook them dinner etc. They're 7 and 9 and while I do light household duties like cooking, cleaning up the kitchen, stacking and unstacking the dishwasher when needed- the kids are slobs! They will drop popcorn or food all over the floor and not pick it up and expect me to do it, they create massive messes of toys and expect me to pick it all up. They are spoilt and I'm pretty sure this is how they've been raised but when I've asked them to pick up things they actually say to me, "Mum and Dad pay you to do that." I need this job desperately as they do pay me really well and I don't have an issue helping with any of those things but sometimes I feel like I'm not doing my job as a caregiver to let them get away with and develop these crappy attitudes towards others, their own things, and their own house. I mean to bring it up with their parents but I feel like a whiney brat and they may not agree with me at all. It's so frustrating!