Your child is big enough to put their own plate in the sink, to wipe their table down, to pick their clothes up and put them in the wash. You're not their slave! Stop treating yourself like you are and stop letting them expect that from you!!!!
Believe it or not but children love responsibility and respond well to it, especially if you start them young. You'll often see a 3 year old for example wanting to 'do the dishes' because they watch their parents do it and somehow we make it look fun (go figure ;) Or they're want to try and sweep or fold washing or help in other ways.
Age appropriate jobs give your children a sense of contributing to the family. Sure they may reach teenage-hood and be all rebellious and not want to clean, however, if you've instilled this sense of responsibility in them from day dot they'll at least appreciate it has to be done.
My littlest child has to clean their room and the toilet (because they're the one who messes both those things up) every Saturday morning before they can watch cartoons or play Xbox or ride their bike. My middle child old has to clean their room and the bathroom before they get any privileges. One of them takes the rubbish into the outside bins and the other empties the compost. They help fold socks on washing day and put the dishes away. While the eldest vacuums the house and cleans the shower.
Most times they do this without complaint because complaining gets them nowhere and other times they say they don't want to do it. Then we're having a conversation about how I have to cook dinner and do dishes every single day. Do I want to most of the time? No, not really. It's a chore and quite often I wish dinner would cook itself or dishes were self cleaning but they're not and we need to keep the house tidy. It's part of life. I tell them they can swap with me and do my chores, then list all the chores I do (which is more than they do of course). I tell them as a family we all mess the house and it's as a family we all need to clean the house. It is as simple as that. Sometimes I'll also talk to them about how that's how life goes, we have to do things we don't necessarily like such as working to pay for food and bills.
It is important that children learn how life works from a young age and it's important they learn to contribute to the daily tasks that need to be done around the house. Why should one or two (mum and dad) have to do all of it by themselves?
I'll often say in this blog: raising children is as much about your mental well-being as theirs. Why put more stress and hard work on your shoulders? Why make your life harder than it is? Get those little people helping you out! NOW!
Start them off with something small such as putting rubbish out and grown it into full blow help where everyone is contributing to the running of your house.
P.S. I don't give my children pocket money in return for doing jobs, I don't bribe them in to helping out. Unless it is something outside the norm or every day chores. For example I paid one child money to remove dog hair from the carpet, but not for tidying their room or helping with dishes. I don't get paid for doing dishes or cooking dinner. My reward is resting on the couch with a good book and a cup of tea after a job well done. Their reward is xbox or visiting friends or going to the park.
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