What chores will your kids not do? How important is it to enforce "chore rules" with them and teach them to clean and tidy up?

I was not very good about enforcing chore duties when my girls were growing up. I think it was probably partly because as a child I had housecleaning, cooking, and sibling care duties that were over the top.

Like @perspicacious‘s mom, my mom didn’t make me do many chores because of all of the responsibilities she had to take on as a child that were overwhelming.

When I go home to visit her now, I’ll always offer to help around the house and I’ll do pretty much anything except for the dishes. I loathe touching and washing dirty dishes. This sounds redonkulous, but it makes me gag. Bleh. There’s not much anyone can do to make me do them. Please put a toilet scrubber in my hand before a greasy plate.

@Vunessuh You have me laughing, yet again. I freak if I touch the part of silverware that’s been in people’s mouths—YIUKS. I’m very careful about that.

Since discovering rubber gloves – I actually don’t mind washing dishes. It feels otherwordly, like someone else is doing them. Give me an ipod and I’m good to go.

My son did not enjoy washing the floors today – and broke early for b-ball practise. I let him go, because he did make an effort. But it did not come naturally to him – to say the least.

I think it’s important for kids to have chores, and so far haven’t had much trouble getting my kids to do the things I ask them to do. Sometimes I have to ask more than once, or remind them that if they don’t hop to it they will lose a privilege. Their chores are to pick up their toys around the house, clean up their rooms, and put their clean laundry away. They help set the table for dinner, and clear their own dishes from the table. Sometimes I’ll ask them to help with things like weeding or dusting.

I won’t make them do it all. I’ll have a list, they can do it each week.

When they’re old enough, they have to make their own bed every morning. They also have to clean up whatever toys they’ve been playing with. I will expect to take turns with dishes (once they’re older), take turns taking care of the family pets, take turns vacuuming and dusting. I will expect that if something is dirty, that they clean it and not ignore it.