They’ll sulk and drag their feet now, but in the future when they become levelheaded goal-getters who believe in rolling up one’s sleeves and getting things done, they’ll have you to thank for it. And honestly, they were probably kids who do chores when they were younger. Most millennials grew up having responsibilities at home, which was why the conversation about kids and chores didn’t float around a lot in the ‘90s and early 2000s. However, it’s different for the younger generation as parents tend to over-protect and indulge their kids. Hey, not judging here, just stating facts.
Many people insist that childhood is a time to enjoy a responsibility-free life in anticipation of adulthood, and so giving a child chores would be “robbing them” of some sort of mental privilege. This assumption is flawed because adulthood needs to be prepared for, and it doesn’t get covered within a year or two. Little chores such as washing the dishes, vacuuming a room, doing grocery runs, or even something as little as closing a window at a specified time are responsibilities that help shape kids into better individuals. [1] Science has severally proven that if you want your kids to grow into successful, far-reaching adults, then chores are a necessity in your home.
Kids who do chores have stable work ethic
According to the ground-breaking Harvard Grant Study, a 75-year longitudinal study that started in 1938, the two major things people need to live a healthy, happy, and successful lives are love and work ethic. [2] While love comes from self-appreciation and external affection, work ethic comes from the responsibilities that people take on during an impressionable phase of their lives.
“The Harvard Grant Study [finds] that professional success in life…comes from having done chores as a kid,” says former Dean of Freshmen at Stanford University, Julie Lythcott-Haims, at the 2016 TED talk. Also the author of How to Raise an Adult, Lythcott-Haims believes that chores eliminate the need for parents to over-direct or overprotect their kids. “And the earlier you start it the better…If kids aren’t doing the dishes, it means someone else is doing that for them. And so they’re absolved of not only the work, but of learning that work has to be done and that each one of us must contribute for the betterment of the whole.“
Lythcott-Haims recommends that parents start by redefining their one-directional ideas of success. There’s more to life than graduating as valedictorian, getting a scholarship to a reputable college, making the best grades, and securing a great job. Success is relative, not stone-carved. Not every kid would want to trail the path their parents have envisioned for them, but they are more likely to succeed and thrive if they have the support and encouragement of those whose opinions they hold dear.
Read: This Chart Shows You Which Chores Are Age-Appropriate For Your Kids