Couples need to find a way to share the responsibility of household chores that works for them and their schedules. Put an end to the neat freak vs. slob battle with a few simple ground rules.
Discuss chores and errands with your spouse and family – Make a list of what needs to get done daily, weekly and monthly. Decide who will do what or volunteer for things you’re good at. If you like cooking, but hate folding laundry then see if your spouse will do the laundry. If there are chores no one wants to do, then develop a rotation schedule so everyone shares the job.
No bickering – Bickering only creates arguments, and who has time for that? Clearly define expectations for checking chores off the to do list taking into account personal and family commitments and late nights at the office.
Make good on your promise – If you told your spouse you would do specific chores on certain days, do them. Making excuses only prolongs the inevitable and can lead to an argument if your spouse thinks you’re trying to get out of doing your chores.
Don’t be critical – Nothing is worse than finishing a chore only to hear your spouse critique your hard work. Compliment your spouse’s efforts even if the chore isn’t done the exact way you would have done it. Work together to keep each other motivated. Other good tips can be found in my blog on re-evaluating your expectations.
There’s an app for that – If you’re having a hard time motivating your kids to help out, there are a variety of apps you can download for your phone, tablet or computer. Be sure to find ones that meet your needs and are appropriate for your children.
Fine-tune your plan as you go. Stick with what works and adjust the other chores accordingly. Hopefully, arguing about who’s going to take the garbage out this week will be a thing of the past.
What’s your strategy for managing chore wars in your home?
One chore my children have to do daily is to take care of their Ferrets. They would argue about who's turn it was so my husband decided that one would be responsible on even days and the other on odd days. That helped.
ReplyDeleteHi Cynthia, great suggestions for chores at home! Divide and conquer does work well and I like the idea of a rotation schedule for those NO one wants to do. That and to not be critical, that is such a great reminder. I can be very anal about how some things are done, have to learn to let go and just be appreciative of the help. Most of all, like you said in your bio, don't sweat the small stuff! :)
ReplyDeleteRenee -- I like your idea of rotating days for the kids' chores so there's no arguing about it.
ReplyDeleteAnne - I can be very critical of the way other do chores around our house, but I soon realized that I needed to let go of it or I'd end up doing all the chores myself.
Great tips!
ReplyDeleteWe make the family grocery shopping a family outting. We all go it's time for us to be together. We also use it as an opportunity to teach our daughter how to act in public.
ReplyDeleteGreat tips, I really enjoyed reading your blog.
ReplyDeleteI am lucky because I have a wonderful daughter that actually loves to help her mommy with shores and cooking. I personally have a big problem, I am germ phobic person, so I am always cleaning...Lately since I have been working full time and going to school full time I have been leaving all the major cleaning to the weekend. My daughter and I we make Saturday our cleaning day, than we reward ourselves with a nice healthy dinner.
Great post Cindy! I don't have children yet but I completely relate with working together with your significant other! We are both so busy that it becomes even more important to make good on your promises to help out or it can become very stressful very quickly. Good to hear I'm not the only one either!
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