How chore time is the new way to celebrate family time
Around the world, in every country, women do more housework than men. In Australia, men spend about 15 hours of work a week doing household chores, while their female counterparts spend 25 hours on household chores—even when they have a full time job. In the US, women did as much as 3 times the amount of household chores as men did, even if they made more money or had a better education.
As for the kids, it's a coin toss whether they have a chore list or not, and if so whether they complete it or not. The burden of housekeeping, cooking, and grocery shopping falls to women no matter what their circumstances are, but it doesn't have to be that way. Sharing family chores can not only ease the burden for women, it can help bring families closer together.
Chore time as family time
When you expect nothing from your kids, that's exactly what you'll get—but children have more confidence and self esteem when they help around the house. They'll also thank you for those chores years down the road when they know not to toss a red sock in with the whites, and their neighbor across the hall didn't.
Chores aren't just for kids and women however, when the whole family works together to make the house a pleasant place, it can become a source of quality family time. Men who help around the house set good examples for their daughters, and may also improve their sex life. Studies show women find men who do dishes sexy.
Aside from the benefits, it's also a time for everyone to get together as an organized unit to keep the home neat. When done with a good spirit and a sense of shared responsibility, it can help your family feel more like a team, and less like a bunch of room mates shoved under the same roof.
Starting family chore time
Most people have been conditioned to view housekeeping as an arduous process that needs to be complained about every step away. While a toddler is eager to help sweep and wash the dishes, older kids who are more conditioned to adults grumping their way through chores may not be so willing to give it a try.
Talk to your family about how to fairly break up the chores, and include ways to make it fun. By reframing chores into something fun to do, you can make it more fun for them and you too.
· Musical Chores
Work on a task for a set time, when the timer goes off, switch with the person to your right.
· Prize for fastest completion
After chores have been fairly divided, the first person who finishes gets to pick a movie for pizza and a movie night. The winner needs to be peer reviewed—putting dirty dishes away won't make you a winner.
Get creative to think about how to make chores more fun, and don't forget to celebrate together when its done. You'll have a clean house and best of all, one person wasn't stuck doing all the cleaning.