Chores Have A Purpose
As I grow and learn, I see that childhood lessons that once seemed
like punishment did have a purpose.
When I was a child, I had trouble cleaning my room, let alone doing
chores in the rest of the house! I had a hard time understanding
why I had to do chores at all. Now as an adult, it’s so obvious as
to why we do chores! Cleaning of any kind was very hard for me then,
but I have learned that breaking any task into smaller bits is a
very efficient time saver.
For example, when I whined about cleaning my room, my father would
ask me what the problem was. I’d tell him that there was just too
much to do. He would take everything that was out of place and toss
it in the middle of the floor. Then he would walk to the door and
say, “Now don’t come out until everything is put away. Just put everything
away one thing at a time.” I thought I was being punished. He was
teaching me a valuable lesson.
As I turned back to look at my room, I remember it appearing cleaner
except for the pile in the middle of the floor. This made the job
seem more manageable and I picked up one item at a time to put it
away. However, I always hated folding clothes so I folded a few items,
hung up one or two more, and then tossed the rest behind the bed,
hoping Dad wouldn’t find it. Of course when I ran out of clothes,
Mom would figure me out.
My point here is that I was able to manage to get the room cleaned.
Have you ever heard the saying, “How do you eat an elephant?” One
bite at a time! But there’s one more important piece in this equation
and that is -- learning style. What is YOUR learning style?? How
do you process information?
If you find that you have a hard time with large tasks, break them
down into smaller, more manageable tasks. This is a common saying,
but how many times do people actually do this?
When you are working with children on chores, show them some examples
of "before and after." If you have a messy room, get everyone to
clean it together so that you’ll quickly see the end result; then
talk about how nice a clean room makes everyone feel. When you walk
into someone’s home and they have a large open room with furniture
neatly laid out and clean walking space, does it make an impression
on you? I know it does with my family.
Another idea could be to have someone other than yourself show your
child how to do a particular cleaning job or proper etiquette, so
consider setting up an informal class with one of your friends or
neighbors.
Just remember that any job is easier done in smaller pieces and
with clear instructions!
©2002 Susie Glennan
Susie Glennan has been happily married since 1982, is mom to 3 teenagers,
and is a Home Maker, Nurturer, Teacher, Author, Professional Speaker,
Toastmaster, President of The Busy Woman, Inc., DBA - The Busy Woman's Daily
Planner®. She teaches time management seminars, offers FREE consultations
with your order, and will help you set up a schedule that's right for you.
800-848-7715 www.thebusywoman.com
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