Teamwork {Balanced Challenge Day 7}

Wow! I can’t believe we are already on Day 7 of the Balanced Challenge! I had such a productive week last week as a result of ideas I’ve applied by doing this challenge. I pray that this pattern will continue and that I’ll see even greater results in the coming weeks.

Today’s challenge involves members of our family. Tricia encouraged us to hold a family meeting and give certain responsibilities to our children and spouse. This was a welcome idea to me. My kids are 14 and 11 so they should have responsibilities around the house. However, I’ve not really taken the time to assign them chores. Usually when I need help, I just call on one of them to assist me.

We didn’t have a formal family meeting. Although, I do love this concept and would like to implement it with my family. I talked with my kids when we were in line at our local Chipotle restaurant last night.

The one chore around our home that I really don’t like to do is the dishes. Whether it’s loading them in the dishwasher, putting them away, or washing pots and pans, I just don’t like dealing with the dishes. Having help in this area would definitely make my day brighter!

So, I assigned my son the task of unloading the dishwasher each morning before school. My daughter would then be the kitchen helper in the evening by assisting with dinner preparation and loading dishes into the dishwasher.

My initial thought was to have each kid do their assigned chore for the week, and then have them swap next week. However, they wanted to do their assigned chore indefinitely. So, for now, I’m going to let them keep those chores.

Over Spring Break next week I plan to create a chore chart to remind them of the things they need to do each day. My goal is for them to learn to consult the chart so I don’t have to remind them what needs to be done.

I also plan to begin teaching them how to clean their own bathrooms and bedrooms. They know how to dust and vacuum, but they need to learn to keep other areas of the home clean.

My husband is already good about helping out around the house. In fact, he often takes it upon himself to help even when I’ve not asked. I’ve often joked he would make a better stay-at-home dad than I do as a stay-at-home mom.

Because we have a fairly large home, I’ve often thought about hiring someone to come in and clean our house. However, I have a hard time justifying the expense when I’m at home most of the time. I also think it’s important the whole family pitches in to keep the house clean. That’s why I think it’s necessary that the kids learn to help out where needed.

We will see how this goes with the kids. I want them to be prepared when they leave home one day and live on their own. Having the confidence to keep and maintain their own home is one of the best things I could ever give them.

How does your family help around the house?

Get Balanced!