It's Chore Time! Where are the Kids?

I am looking around my house right now and see that the floor needs to be swept, the laundry needs to be folded and the dishwasher needs to be unloaded.  Where is my housekeeper?  Oh yeah...I don't have one!  Alrighty then...time to gather the kiddos and get this house in order.  Do your kids help you maintain a clean house?  Do you pay them for those chores?

From D Sharon Pruitt's photos on Flickr

Many people are opposed to paying for tasks that help run the family household. Other folks use money to encourage kids to complete the tasks and compare it to getting a paycheck as an adult. I personally don’t think there is a right or wrong answer to this age-old dilemma. I think each family has to find the method and theory that works best for them.

Our Approach:  The Best of Both Worlds



Here at the Whitlock household, we have been using a combination of expected chores and optional paid jobs with our four kids for many years. We have chores that the kids are required to do just because their last name is Whitlock. There are other jobs that we will pay them to do when they want to earn extra money. The assignment of the chores and the amount of money paid for the optional jobs will vary depending on the age of the child who is doing the task. (Our kids range in age from 9 – 19.)

Here are the most common chores and jobs for our kids.


Expected Chores (No payment):

• Loading and unloading dishwasher
• Making beds
• Cleaning bathrooms
• Vacuuming
• Clearing table
• Laundry --- sorting and folding
• Picking up dog poop
• Mowing the grass
• Taking out trash and recycling
• Sweeping
• Dusting furniture

Optional Jobs (Payment for these):

• Babysitting for younger siblings
• Washing cars
• Steam cleaning carpets or upholstery
• Training the dog
• Picking up pine cones
• Washing windows
• Pulling weeds & trimming bushes
• Photography & artwork for this blog
• Mom's assistant --- help with filing, organizing, cleaning of closets, etc.

How do you handle chores in your family? Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments.