child baking using cookie cutters
Jade Small
Jade Small
December 18, 2023 ·  4 min read

Mom Faces Backlash For Teaching Her Son How To Cook And Clean And Her Reason Why Is Something We All Need To Read

A Secret Life of Mom Highlight Story: Sometimes there are stories that can help raise and maintain awareness of important subjects. That’s why we scour the archives and bring some of them back to help keep parents in the know. They may be touching, and even make you shed a tear, but the health and wellbeing of our children are what we value most. This sorry is originally from October 2016.

The lessons we learn as a child are carried through into adulthood. A strong foundation is al one really needs to function well in society, and by oneself. At least this is how one mother feels. She posted pictures of her son cooking food, packing the dishwasher, and even doing laundry by himself. She feels she is teaching her son a valuable lesson by getting her son do to chores around the house. But, many people gave her backlash. However, she has shared her reasoning with her viewers, and they should be heard.

The chores of life

In 2016, mother of two, and former star of the reality show, “16 and pregnant,” Nikkole Paulun, posted videos of her son doing some chores around the house. The video has made its rounds through many people’s news feeds. Not all reactions were in support of her teachings as a mother. Nikkole thinks otherwise. The picture she posted on Facebook and she explained her reasons in the caption. She feels her son deserves to know how to do housework because everyone should know how to survive by themselves. Additionally, she thinks it’s important to teach these lessons to boys and girls alike – no one is exempt.

The post was a collage of pictures showing her son doing chores and being helpful around the house. In the main picture, he is cooking food on a gas hob. The picture on the top right shows him packing the dishes away into the dishwasher. Lastly, the bottom-right picture shows how he loads the laundry. the backlash she received from many would not deter her from raising her son the way she sees fit. However, she has shared her reasons with those who doubt her teachings.

Read: Kids Who Do Chores Are More Successful Adults

Nikkole Paulun's son doing chores and learning lessons
Image credit: Nikkole Leda | Facebook

Because household work isn’t just for women.”

Nikkole wants her son to be independent. She explained this in the caption posted with the pictures. Rather than raising a child who cannot function by himself, in terms of basic things like cooking and cleaning. Furthermore, she does not believe that these chores are solely meant for girls to be taught.

She wrote: “Because one day he might be a single man, living on his own, who will actually know how to do laundry and not eat take out every night.

Not only does she want him to be taught the same lessons she would her daughter, but she wants him to be able to impress his future love interests with a home-cooked meal. This is something many women dream about. “Because one day he might want to impress a significant other with a meal cooked by his own hands,” said Nikkole.

Nikkole added to her explanation that when her son has his own family, he should be able to contribute to running the household. She wrote: “Because one day when he has kids and a spouse, he’s going to need to do his fair share around the home.”

Read: School in Spain Teaches Boys How to Do Household Chores to Stop Gender Inequality

They see chores, she sees life lessons

Nikkole feels that the generation she was born into complain they ere not taught basic skills for functioning in society. She is taking full accountability, and decided the change will start with her. “Because I live in a generation of people who complain that school didn’t teach us how to cook, do laundry, tie a tie, or pay taxes,” wrote Nikkole.

“Because teaching my son how to do these things and be a productive member of society both outside the home and inside, starts with ME,” she added.

After chores - relaxation time
Image credit: Nikkole Leda | Facebook

She concluded her caption with a sentiment about children being able to have a great childhood, as well as learning how to function as they grow. “Because it’s okay to let your child be a child but still teach them lifelong lessons along the way.”

There are many people who shared their opinions over Nikkole’s son doing chores. They see it as a little boy being made to do chores when he should be out having fun as a child. Nikkole thinks she is equipping her child with valuable skill sets for his life as an adult. Ina show of good faith, she added a picture into the comments section that showed her son lounging on the couch playing video games. She captioned this last pic with: “& he relaxes after his chores with some video games 😁

Keep Reading: Woman Asks If It’s Wrong To Require Partner To Learn Basic Chores Before Moving In

Sources

  1. Mom’s Viral Post Explains Why Son Isn’t ‘Too Manly’ To Cook And Clean.” Huffpost . Caroline Bologna. October 17, 2016.
  2. 16 and Pregnant star’s images of her six-year-old son cooking, cleaning, and doing laundry strike a chord with thousands online, as she insists he will ‘NEVER be too “manly” for chores’.Daily Mail. Miranda Bryant. October 17, 2016.