Could parents please list the chores they expect their 13 year olds to do?

[Guest]

Sorry for the random post but I'd like to prove to my 13year old daughter that she's not hard done by and that most children her age have chores too. I'm fed up with hearing how none of her class has chores.

Could parents please list the chores they expect their 13 year olds to do?



The daughter I mentioned is 1 of 4 and her siblings are all under 4 so it gets a bit crazy but for the most part her father and I do it all. Last night I just asked she gave me a hand to fold some laundry while we watched our show together and she complained nobody in her class has chores that she's the only one. In the end she didn't fold any of the laundry and only put away her own; and that's perfectly okay.

I don't demand she does things and I certainly didn't have children to be slaves (thanks for that judgement), if that was my logic I'd have hired a cleaner and never had children because would've been less stress and a lot cheaper, not to mention less chores.

My daughters regular chores are to clean her room, put her clothes in the wash basket and her clean clothes away, clean up the bathroom after herself (please note just herself and I don't mean she uses any chemicals just a basic wipe over with the sponge I do the chemical cleaning), clean up after herself if she makes food, teas etc in the kitchen and feed the cats (including putting tins in the recycling bin in the kitchen). Basically her chores are nothing she doesn't need to learn in preparation for when she is older.

I don't want my kids to grow up move out and get a nasty shock. Every house is different and I absolutely respect that you have your reasons, your beliefs and I mine that's cool we're both mums and we're both doing our best in a job with no guidance. If you feel you need to pass judgement or scold another parent who's doing their best, please ensure your house, partner and your children are perfect and that your unicorn is still in your garage.

Thank you in advance.

[Mark]

Get up at 4am to light the fire.

Go and fetch water from the well.

Make breakfast for everyone in the house.

Ride to and from school in 3 feet of snow which is uphill in both directions.

Minimum 8 hours of homework.

Cook dinner.

Wash clothes in the local stream.

The list is endless.

[Kirste]

Chores mine don't even know where the bin is or the wash basket.

[Emma]

I’m a no-nonsense kind of parent. I put a list of chores up on the fridge from the age of 7 but I started them very younger than that. Made it a game rather than a chore and they both happily do it now. Try to explain that doing these things teaches life skills. Doing nothing doesn’t help them prepare for the outside world and then quit negotiating with her. Good luck teenagers are hard work sometimes.

[Viv]

My 12 year old chips in and contributes to our home, not quite as much as me and my partner. But we all live here lol.

My partner and I work, we all hoover, cook, wash up, feed and clean our chickens, put the bins out depending on who is home.

He is a confident cook and enjoys cooking evening meals, he has shopped in a budget, chosen recipes and ingredients and cooked full meals. Whoever cooks doesn't do the washing up.

He regularly runs the hoover and duster around while we're at work.

He doesn't do laundry or any deep cleaning such as kitchen and the bathroom. And his room is questionable most of the time, but it's his space.

But he lives here and contributes to the daily housework. I think it's only fair, I pay his monthly phone contract, his ice skating 3x per week, I bought him a gaming PC. If I want to do or have nice things, I have to go out to work to afford them. If he wants nice things, he has to contribute to the household he lives in so I can do the overtime to afford his nice things.

He's not a slave, as some people have said on this post, but a well rounded, responsible kid who will be fully able to be a self sufficient adult.

[Lisa]

My 10 year old twins-feed the animals daily, clean rabbits hutch once a week, pick up dog poo once a week, change their own beds weekly, keep bedroom tidy.

My 12 year old-unloads dishwasher daily, empties her bedroom and bathroom bin, changed her bedding weekly, keeps her room tidy, does her own laundry (her own choice as she thought her sisters were stealing her clothes lol) wipes table down after evening meal.

[Lucy]

Maybe her friend’s families don’t call them chores? If I ask my daughter to do something she does it but we don’t have named specific chores that she does every day of that makes sense? So maybe they help out but they aren’t called chores?