Nanny to Mommy

 I noticed since quarantine that my children were watching screens too much. Television, iPads, Nintendo Switch, all of it. My son also really needed to learn some responsibility for a couple of things that happened, but the most recent.... he broke his iPad screen. So, we set up a chore system.

This system had to be implemented and it has to be worked on every day, every week because honestly? Care tasks are hard and can stink even as an adult, but they are an important part of life. You feel better when you get ready for the day and have less clutter in your space. So here is what we started doing to help them learn to basically take care of themselves because mom and dad aren't going to be around forever.

We have a daily initiative of earning 30 minutes of screen time (iPads, TVs, etc.) - yes, they have to set a timer - and then a weekly incentive of $10 allowance. If they miss a day, then they don't earn screen time and they lose $2. They have daily chores and weekly chores plus the opportunity to earn extra money. I did also have to add for my son that he couldn't play outside until he did his chores because he was quickly doing anything in his power to avoid them. But each child is different and that's how life is, you have to adapt. The timer aspect has been hard, but so wonderful at the same time. Yes, my son has been trying to battle me on it, but I can already see the amazing benefits of less screen time in his life. Let me show you what we do.

First, they have charts that have their personal daily chores:

My daughter has: empty dishwasher, read for 30 minutes, brush teeth, brush hair, make bed, put on deodorant, and then two popsicle stick (I'll explain those in a minute). Weekly chore: help mommy fold laundry.

My son has: clean off table after dinner, read for 30 minutes, brush teeth, make bed, and then one popsicle stick. Weekly chore: help daddy collects and take out trash.

Popsicle stick chores are chores that don't have to be done every day, but definitely weekly. These are chores that my children are going to learn so if they don't know how to do something, then I will be helping them at least a few times at first. Popsicle chores include vacuum living room, dust, clean front door windows, magic eraser bathtub, scrub toilets, microfiber appliances, etc. I'm honestly coming up with more ideas as we go along, and I see what comes up. If they choose to pick another popsicle stick that day, then they have the opportunity to make money depending on what chore they choose. 

- Children can set savings goal for themselves.

- There is a chore system in their app readily available. I like that you can add details about each chore as well. Like clean room to add make sure underneath bed is clean, top of dresser is clear, bed is made, etc.

- Parents control the spending. You decide what places your child is allowed to spend money at and what funds are available for which purchase.

- Kids can learn about social responsibility by allowing them to donate to charities.

- provides educational tools and resources to help kids learn financial literacy.

- plus, you can send them money from anywhere.

- turning our chore chart digital also has been a game changer, although having a hard copy we can look at is nice, being digital makes it known for everyone which chores are completed.

Mazoola is currently offering families a one-year membership at no cost with the ability to cancel anytime. Mazoola is available to download for free on the Apple App Store or Google Play.

The most recent comment I have received about giving chores to my children is: "They aren't your slaves. They didn't ask to be born so you can't force this on them." Let me insert eye roll here because if this is the logic, then none of us asked to be born. But I'm a Christian and I believe they were destined to be born. And I'm going to do my best to teach them to take care of themselves now, so it doesn't feel like such a daunting task when they are an adult. Another old comment I have received, "You are a stay-at-home mom (which I work from home, but REGARDLESS), it's your job not your child's job to do those things." But it doesn't matter if you are a stay-at-home mom and giving your children chores. Everyone lives there and everyone needs to learn to clean up after themselves. That includes laundry, cleaning bathtubs they use, sweeping floors they walk on, washing dishes they eat from, etc. They need to learn these things to be an adult. This is just life. I am not rushing my children's childhood; I am doing this based off mine and my husband's childhood experiences.

If you have experience with a chore chart, I would love to hear what helped it work for you. If you are trying to make it work, feel free to ask questions for others to answer so we can all learn together. Parenting is hard, the internet can be an awesome resource, so let's help each other together...judgement free!