What do you think about this?

[VBoulden]

What do you think about this blog post? I've got my thick skin on, just in case I need it.

 

But with this audience, I think I'll be safe enough saying these things... :001_smile:

 

http://www.veronicaboulden.com/2010/08/are-you-sure-you-are-homeschooling-your.html

[Jean in Newcastle]

I agree with you. Kids can do a lot more than we give them credit for.

[Gooblink]

Hey, I liked it. I agree with you...but I don't stretch my own kids nearly as far as they are capable. Thanks for the food for thought. :)

[WiseOwlKnits]

I agree. My DD knows how to make scrambled eggs, vacuum, mop, put on a load of laundry, and wash the dishes....to name a few. That doesn't mean she does it all the time, or even most of the time. But she can do it (and she usually is begging to get to do it!)

[Parrothead]

I wholeheartedly agree with you.

[cbollin]

Good job on the blog post!

 

I know with my youngest child, who has autism, a lot more of life skills went into our schooling with her than getting more math done. Even with her special needs, we made sure she could be safe in the kitchen, and help outside. Of course, these days she thinks she can start to learn to drive. eeek!

laundry stuff she does. We had to really work with her so that she wouldn't dump the whole bottle in at once. And she just recently wanted to help with the vacuum (it's not as loud and scary as it once was! yeah!). sure honey, why not?

 

I do need to do more math with her now that she's 8. :lol:

 

 

-crystal

[Lucy the Valiant]

Yes.

[LisaS]

Nice blog post.

 

I agree - Kids can do more than we allow ourselves to think is possible sometimes.

[Hedgehog]

Totally agree. And I'll add, that I think if they're used to helping out when they're younger, it's less of a struggle getting them to help out when they're older. I said to an acquaintance only yesterday, that if I died next week I know my older two dds could pretty much run the house. That is to say, they know how to do it, although it might not always get done!! :D

[mommy123]

I like the blog post. I've just been thinking about this myself. My girls are so eager to help with anything I will let them do. I realized I've let my 5yo boy just coast along because he's not so eager to help out. We found he soaks up more and enjoys it when he gets a day to help his granddad work on guy things, and I'm amazed at what he can do and how much he learns. He'll gather eggs, pull weeds, get the veggies from the garden, take out the trash, water plants, etc. I'm glad we have opportunities for things like this!

[NanceXToo]

I have a habit of doing more for my kids than I probably should, because it's faster, or easier, or I think they're too young...

 

I know I do that.

 

I need to consciously pay attention to letting them do more for themselves or with me, instead of me doing so much for them.

 

It's good to think about!

[Catwoman]

I enjoyed your post, and what I liked best was that you are teaching your kids valuable life skills, but aren't condoning turning them into little slaves. It sounds like your dd is really enjoying learning how to do new things, and I think that's great.

 

I've known a few moms who couldn't wait to teach their kids how to cook, clean, and do laundry -- but it was only so the kids could do all of the work around the house while the moms watched TV and surfed the internet. :glare:

 

Cat

[Catwoman]

I have a habit of doing more for my kids than I probably should, because it's faster, or easier, or I think they're too young...

 

I know I do that.

 

I need to consciously pay attention to letting them do more for themselves or with me, instead of me doing so much for them.

 

It's good to think about!

 

I do that, too. Right now, ds10 is bugging me for a snack. (And yes, he knows where we keep the food... :glare:)

 

But I know that in about 2 more minutes, I'll get up and get it for him, because I am a Complete Idiot.

 

Cat

[Catwoman]

That is so cool, Margaret!!!

 

Cat

[Heatherwith4]

Love it! I agree 100%. I was not allowed/taught to do a lot of household tasks growing up, and I have sworn not to do that to my dc. It is hard, though, because I can do it faster/better myself. But, they have to know this stuff!

[MomsintheGarden]

When I was in college, I shared a townhouse (bought by one of the girls' parents) with three girls who all had either very doting parents or a maid at home. One girl took her laundry home every weekend for the maid to do. The other two took theirs to the laundrymat, dropped it off, and picked it up a few days later all freshly washed and pressed.

 

None of them knew how to cook, clean, or even pick up for themselves. One girl's mother came once a quarter to clean her room and bathroom. I cleaned the bathroom I shared with another girl. It wouldn't have gotten done otherwise.

 

I was amazed! It had never occurred to me that 20yos existed who didn't know how to do these things.

 

After living with these girls I decided that no matter how rich I would become (we're not :)), MY children would not grow up to be domestically helpless. And they haven't!

 

Good job telling it like it should be!

 

GardenMom

[MariannNOVA]

Agree with what you wrote and I enjoyed reading it. You've made some excellent points.:)

[MistyJ]

My dd 10 and ds 14 know more about running a house and are more resourceful than I was when I married at almost 26. I spent years overwhelmed, and am happy they don't have that in front of them.

[emmsmama]

The only set chores my kids have are dishes (dd) and feeding pets (ds), making sure their rooms are tidy before bedtime, and folding their laundry when it is clean. They are expected however, to help keep the house tidy of their toys and help out with things as asked. I know they could do more, but usually it's quicker and less messy and done more properly if I do it. I know I should give them more responsibilities though.

 

Dd loves to cook/bake and I have been letting her do more in the kitchen. She'll now make soup, scrambled eggs, or grilled cheese. She also baked a yummy chocolate cake completely from scratch a couple days ago. I haven't even ever done that (pathetic, I know, but I always get the boxed mixes). She was so proud of herself and I was very proud of her too and it was a nice bonus that the cake tasted so good!

 

I just need to learn to let go more of my perfectionistic ways.

[Catwoman]

When I was in college, I shared a townhouse (bought by one of the girls' parents) with three girls who all had either very doting parents or a maid at home. One girl took her laundry home every weekend for the maid to do. The other two took theirs to the laundrymat, dropped it off, and picked it up a few days later all freshly washed and pressed.

 

None of them knew how to cook, clean, or even pick up for themselves. One girl's mother came once a quarter to clean her room and bathroom. I cleaned the bathroom I shared with another girl. It wouldn't have gotten done otherwise.

 

I was amazed! It had never occurred to me that 20yos existed who didn't know how to do these things.

 

After living with these girls I decided that no matter how rich I would become (we're not :)), MY children would not grow up to be domestically helpless. And they haven't!

 

Good job telling it like it should be!

 

GardenMom

 

I had to laugh when I read your post, because we lived in a condo when we were in college, and we had a housekeeper and sent all our laundry out, too. We were on the meal plan at school, so cooking wasn't a priority. Neither my roommate nor I had the slightest clue about household chores, and both sets of parents knew it would never even occur to us to cook or clean (and they probably figured we'd drown in the washing machine if we tried to use it.... ;) ) We didn't really know anyone who did those things for themselves, at home or at school, because either our moms did everything around the house, or they had housekeepers.

 

In all honestly, I still don't have much of a clue about housework, although I can cook, and I finally learned how to do my family's laundry (but anything that needs ironing still gets sent out -- I know my limits! :001_rolleyes:)

 

My ds knows how to cook (he doesn't have to cook; he just likes to know how everything is done,) and how to work the dishwasher, but that's about it, unless you count occasionally cleaning a mirror with Windex or using a little Pledge on a table every now and then. OTOH, there aren't many mechanical or electronic things in our house that ds or I can't figure out how to fix. (We're such geeks that way...)

 

Cat

[MomsintheGarden]

My ds knows how to cook (he doesn't have to cook; he just likes to know how everything is done,) and how to work the dishwasher, but that's about it, unless you count occasionally cleaning a mirror with Windex or using a little Pledge on a table every now and then. OTOH, there aren't many mechanical or electronic things in our house that ds or I can't figure out how to fix. (We're such geeks that way...)

Well, there you've got me! I am very good at breaking things, but not so good at fixing them. Dh is excellent at repairs (and preventing accidents). Things always break when he's away...

 

GardenMom

 

PS I'm glad I made you laugh! I wasn't trying to upset anyone, but just had a different background than those girls. It was eye-opening for me.

[Joyofsixreboot]

I've always tried to give them lots of independence and shared family work. I've had people sort of berate me for making those 'babies work so hard.' Hmph, I'm trying to ensure they survive. My 6yo can clean the house WELL and make scrambled eggs. The will be 3yo (tomorrow) can make peanut butter sandwiches. They can do all kinds of things if they are allowed and you accept they won't do them perfectly at first.