Alexandra Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 How much time should a 13.5 yo boy spend doing chores. I do not have a daily schedule (yet) but would like to know what others have done. Would an hour a day be too much or too little in your home? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kris Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 How much time should a 13.5 yo boy spend doing chores. I do not have a daily schedule (yet) but would like to know what others have done. Would an hour a day be too much or too little in your home?Thanks I don't go by time -- he has things he has to do. If he *wants* to spend an hour a doing them, that's his choice. :-) When he was away during last summer, I could get his chores done in less than 30 minutes -- and that's when we still had the horses! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in Orlando Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 I think it depends on your life. Obviously a kid that lives on a farm will have far more chores than a kid in the suburbs. We live in the suburbs and the boys all have set chores each day that total 60-90 minutes. Then, depending on what needs done they might do more on top of that. We've been remodeling recently and they've been doing quite a lot of extra work. This week, we're mostly done and they're getting a bit of a break. On weekends, in addition to their regular chores, they do yard work for as long as it takes them and dh to finish. hth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamela H in Texas Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 I agree with Kris. My kids have their responsibilities and however long they take, they take. If they dillydally, that is their problem, but life doesn't start until chores and schoolwork are completed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 Hmmm . . . it depends on what you're including, I think. I think my kids probably spend an hour doing things I ask them throughout the day. But, some of those things are things like: making their bed, keeping their room picked up, and keeping their toy room picked up. We do have a schedule and as an example, today my 12 yo ds did: make bed (1 minute) put away clean clothes (1 minute) switch the laundry and bring up the clean clothes (3 minutes - split) dust baseboards on first floor (10 minutes) pull 100 weeds (5 minutes) mop kitchen (5 minutes) empty 1/2 dishwasher (the kids split this) (5 minutes) pick up toy room (split with his brothers) (10 minutes) I think that's it for today. Total: 40 minutes. Hmm . . not bad!!! As they get older, they'll take on bigger responsibilities that will take more time, I assume! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brindee Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 Weeellll, in the olden days, the kids got up before the sun and worked 2 or more hours before breakfast. Then they went to school all day. Then they did 2 or 3 more hours after school---or more! So I'm guessing it aint gonna ruin that youngin' to do only one hour of chores a day! ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamela H in Texas Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 Here are my 13yo ds's chores: Living Room Straighten books, toss trash, put dishes in kitchen, clean tables Dust everything, Vacuum on Monday and Thursday Dining Room Toss trash, vacuum Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday Refill Piggies’ water and feed Piggies Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday Activity Room Toss trash, straighten books, put items up, clean table Dust everything, Vacuum on Monday and Wednesday Bedroom Toys picked up, nothing on floor, knickknacks neat Bedding done including bed made CORRECTLY Solumel daily Bathroom Toss trash in big trash can, Take out laundry/towels Wipe down sink then toilet, Clean shower on Friday Mirror on Tuesday and Friday Trash Take out trash each morning and/or as necessary Make sure there is no trash on pantry floor Do at least two full rotations of laundry if necessary Make sure dogs are fed and watered In addition, he mows 20-60 minutes about 3 times per week as we push mow over an acre and everyone has to do their turn and we have to keep it neat and done. Additional chores can be done for $$$ or screentime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brindee Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 Solumel daily What is that? That's quite a list! How long does that take? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamela H in Texas Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 Solumel is kinda like Febreze. It's by Melaleuca. It is a good size list but he can do it pretty quickly most days. Remember, he's doing so much each day that it never gets bad to require any real work. And we keep it up pretty easily. I mean, do you REALLY want your brother saying, "KIMBERLY, you left your calculus book out AGAIN" more than a couple times ever? So people pick up after themselves pretty well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamela H in Texas Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 Here are my 15yo dd's: Kitchen EVERY DAY-- Dishes – EVERY single one of them Counters – EVERY inch of each of them Items on counters – as few as possible, wipe down/under/behind daily Sweep Sink –COMPLETELY clean and dried daily Bars – nothing left on them, cleaned Stove – clean well, scrub as needed More Kitchen – Mop on Tuesday and Friday Clear and straighten refrigerator on Thursday Cabinets – wipe down face of drawers and cabinets on Friday Microwave—clean on Monday Trash Take big trash cans out to road on Wednesday evening Bring brig trash cans back to house on Thursday Guinea Pigs Refill Piggies’ water! Feed Piggies veggies, kibble, hay. Bedroom Toys picked up, nothing on floor, knickknacks neat Bedding done including bed made CORRECTLY Solumel daily Bathroom Toss trash in big trash can, Take out laundry/towels Wipe down sink then toilet, Clean shower on Friday Mirror on Tuesday and Friday Do at least two full rotations of laundry if necessary And like above, 20-60 min 3 times per week for mowing. Additional chores for money/screentime available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 Well, my 14yo's regularly take upwards of 3 hours a day. Of course, that includes feeding and watering the steers and the 4-H heifer, feeding the calves, feeding the sheep and llamas, feeding the rams, hauling water to the chickens and getting eggs, if it's spring, checking the herd for calving, checking and dealing with lambers, cleaning jugs, coating lambs, bottle feeding bummers and repeating the entire process at night, including shutting everything so the bears don't eat them. And yes, she's expected to do some inside chores, too. My 12yo helps with the outside chores, including filling the coal boiler, doing all the shoveling (we had over 250" of snow this year), chopping ice, feeding the herd, chopping the wood and keeping the fire going in the bunkhouse (hard to do at 45 below), shoveling the roof in the winter and irrigating in the summer. He'll start running the rake this year and his next older sister will be promoted to the baler. He cleans one bathroom a week and the children fold and put away all the laundry. Wow. Takes a lot to run a farm.....:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colleen Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 How much time should a 13.5 yo boy spend doing chores. I do not have a daily schedule (yet) but would like to know what others have done. Would an hour a day be too much or too little in your home? My home is kinda different in that we have a farm, so aside from everything else, my guys do farm work ~ some of which is paid. Everything related to the house and yard and garden they just pitch in as needed, and they do a lot, I must say. Of his own volition, my 13 year old took charge of the entire vegetable garden this season. He and my 10 year old mow the lawn once a week, and that alone takes them a few hours (we don't do the riding mower deal). They're definitely contributing members of the household as far as organization and cleanliness are concerned. None of that is assigned or timed, though. I don't create a daily schedule. We live, and we take care of the mess that comes from living. I believe most children should be perfectly capable of helping out as needed without being given a laundry list (no pun intended;)) of assigned chores. Having said all that, I certainly don't think a 13.5 year old contributing an hour each day, on average, to home and yard maintenance is asking a great deal. I say "on average" because it'll vary from one day to the next. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 I believe most children should be perfectly capable of helping out as needed without being given a laundry list (no pun intended;)) of assigned chores. I'm not capable of getting my chores done with out a list, so I certainly can't expect ds8 to. I wouldn't even remember what it was I wanted him to do. How about things that need to be done, but aren't readily visible? I can see though that ds has learned his routine now that I've had it in place for a while and he often doesn't refer to his normal list...but I add things as needed all of the time. And my 8 yo does roughly an hour a day of chores. I think. I don't know...I might time him and see some time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colleen Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 Like I said in my post, my guys work on the farm, too. But it doesn't make sense to me to list all they do because most of it is completely unrealistic for those who don't live this kind of lifetsyle. Well, my 14yo's regularly take upwards of 3 hours a day. Of course, that includes feeding and watering the steers and the 4-H heifer, feeding the calves, feeding the sheep and llamas, feeding the rams, hauling water to the chickens and getting eggs, if it's spring, checking the herd for calving, checking and dealing with lambers, cleaning jugs, coating lambs, bottle feeding bummers and repeating the entire process at night, including shutting everything so the bears don't eat them. And yes, she's expected to do some inside chores, too. My 12yo helps with the outside chores, including filling the coal boiler, doing all the shoveling (we had over 250" of snow this year), chopping ice, feeding the herd, chopping the wood and keeping the fire going in the bunkhouse (hard to do at 45 below), shoveling the roof in the winter and irrigating in the summer. He'll start running the rake this year and his next older sister will be promoted to the baler. He cleans one bathroom a week and the children fold and put away all the laundry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 Like I said in my post, my guys work on the farm, too. But it doesn't make sense to me to list all they do because most of it is completely unrealistic for those who don't live this kind of lifetsyle. Good point. Btw, Colleen, your boys are just adorable. Off to see if you posted new pics of your farm today as you said you might. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamela H in Texas Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 I believe most children should be perfectly capable of helping out as needed without being given a laundry list (no pun intended) of assigned chores. I think it depends. When my kids were young, they simply did whatever needed to be done and came to me with "what else do you need me to do, Mama" when they couldn't figure the next thing to do. It was awesome. However, as I've gotten more ill and scatterbrained and yet hyper about the house being "just right," but unable to just do it myself....well and then add working to that list also....Anyway, as things have turned out, we have a laundry list. Mostly, it's intuitive and ds knows he has the dogs, common areas, bedroom and bathroom. It's all spelled out "in case" but truly, how much does one need to refer to a list when they do it daily? But *I* need the list. I need to know it's getting done and going to get done and not worth WORRYING about. And I WOULD worry about it without knowing when and how it's getting done. And yet I'm just too busy and ill to be able to do it all whenever *I* think about it otherwise. The lists are more for MY peace of mind. The kids don't seem to need them. For another example of ME needing something. My daughter tests her urine (on a good week, only once per week). On Sundays, she tells me what it says (negative, trace, a number). I don't bug her all week long because I know on Sundays the answer is there for me. I don't have to worry about it at all because nothing major is going to happen from one Sunday to the next without us knowing in other ways. So on Sundays, I get my answer. I depend on the answer. Anyway, hoping that makes more sense. Generally, my kids need a lot less structure than *I* do. They just accommodate me as necessary.....thankfully :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colleen Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 Btw, Colleen, your boys are just adorable. That's nice of you to say; thank you.:) Off to see if you posted new pics of your farm today as you said you might. Ya know, last year I was doing a daily photo blog (with a spring break), but this year I'm hit and miss. I didn't add anything today, thanks to spending a boatload of time making food for a 4-H potluck and helping my guys finish their 4-H record books. (Both of which are the basis for much annoyance, as Kelli, fellow 4-H mom, and I have just been saying via PM!) I'll do the farm tour soon, though. Thanks for looking at my photo blog! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brindee Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 Solumel is kinda like Febreze. It's by Melaleuca. It is a good size list but he can do it pretty quickly most days. Remember, he's doing so much each day that it never gets bad to require any real work. And we keep it up pretty easily. I mean, do you REALLY want your brother saying, "KIMBERLY, you left your calculus book out AGAIN" more than a couple times ever? So people pick up after themselves pretty well. Pamela, just wanted to thank you for sharing! My kids do choires too, but it's always nice for them to see that they're not the only ones, ya know?! :) I printed your lists out (hope that's okay) for them to see! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamela H in Texas Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 oh sure that is fine Brindee. I noticed a couple out of date things on them, but they are pretty close. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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