Several months have passed since I started a weekly chores routine for the kids. Every Saturday morning my children clean their bedrooms and then complete five household chores.
At first training the children and getting them used to doing chores was very difficult and frustrating. It’s a lot easier now, but we still butt heads. One morning Halen was upset because he didn’t want to put away his Legos, so I told him what I expected and then warned that I’d bring the “Inspector” bag to collect any Legos he failed to put away in the allotted clean-up time.
Halen was not happy with how the morning was going for him, and he exclaimed, “Mommy, I’m getting obsessed with you, all because you keep telling me to clean up my stuff!” I couldn't help but smile, but that only made him more adamant: “I’m so obsessed!”
Savannah chimed in from the other room: “Halen, you don’t mean ‘obsessed,’ you mean ‘upset’!”
Savannah chimed in from the other room: “Halen, you don’t mean ‘obsessed,’ you mean ‘upset’!”
By the end of the day, Halen’s upset had changed to pure delight in his dear old mother. With money from Christmas and his chores, he has managed to save a good chunk of money, and I suggested that he might want to buy a new set of Legos. The two of us perused the options on Amazon.com, and Halen finally selected a police-helicopter set. When I put it in my e-cart, he squeezed my neck and exulted, “I’m so glad you make us do chores, Mommy!” It was awesome.
Halen told his sisters about his purchase, and the two of them decided to get Lego sets ("girl" ones) as well. Each of the kids handed over cash for their toys, and I put them on my credit card.
The children (especially Halen) were beside themselves with joy and counted down the days until the estimated delivery time. Fortunately, all three Lego sets arrived on the same day. The kids shook with excitement as they opened their packages, and over the next several days they spent all their free time playing with their kits. Several weeks on, the toys are still favorites, and all of the kids have saved up enough money for an additional Lego set. Win!
The children (especially Halen) were beside themselves with joy and counted down the days until the estimated delivery time. Fortunately, all three Lego sets arrived on the same day. The kids shook with excitement as they opened their packages, and over the next several days they spent all their free time playing with their kits. Several weeks on, the toys are still favorites, and all of the kids have saved up enough money for an additional Lego set. Win!