Creating Contributing Members of Society

For the past year or so Brian and I have had expectations of the kids that if they live in the house they will participate in the running of the household.  There are certain things we expect the kids to do in order to help around here.  Some of them they are great about doing and others, not so much.  To their defense, in some situations, their mother, yours truly, has stepped in to do some of the chores because it will get done faster and the way that I expect it to.

Then I stepped back from the situation as realized that I do not want to be one of those parents who sends an adult child out into the world who is incapable of doing anything for herself.  I want them to be strong independent women who will be responsible for their own lives.

All that being said, I have developed a reward system that I hope will help teach the kids the results of hard work.  We have made a chart together of 9 things that we expect each member of the house, including adults, to do.  Together, we decided how many marbles each chore is worth.  If the chore is completed without complaint, they receive that number of marbles.  If not, then they lose said number of marbles.  

Once the jar is full, the child can choose what the reward will be.  Today, Emma said she wants to take a bike ride with Daddy along the river, without her sister.  I guess her not being in school has made a little too much together time with Rebecca.  Rebecca keeps waffling between a trailer ride with Daddy and buying something at the store.  I find it a little amusing that neither child has included me in the reward.  I am choosing to go with the "distance makes the heart grow fonder" theory as to why they don't want me in on it.

I am going to stand strong and committed to this system as they are getting old enough to understand that the work doesn't just happen around here and I don't want to do it all anymore.  Here's hoping for great results.