401 Ways to Get Your Kids to Work at Home
by Bonny Runyan McCullough and Susan Walker Monson
I guess you would say that this book contains everything you probably already knew or
suspected was true.
I may not agree with everything in the book (it is not written from a Christian perspective,
and it is definitely not written with the Homeschooler in mind.)
They seem to expect less than a homeschooler would,
but since our children are not in school slaving away all day,
and then come home with homework, we expect more of a contribution to the household duties.
Also, the majority of us homeschoolers do not have outside jobs, and we can train them to do
their duties throughout the day.
A word of warning. There was an instant where cursing was used
(a teenager complaint of having to do household chores) and one minced cursing (you know,
where you use another word to substitute for a curse word.)
I was a bit surprised with their average ages for household duties.
I guess what they said is really true: you treat someone else's children as if
they were more mature, and your own child as if they were 2 years behind the
other children.
My children are already doing many things on their own,
instead of with my help, but because of their size,
they are not able to do certain things others their age could do.
I guess when you have two short parents, expect short children.
They do enjoy helping with the housework,
which makes me happy, but sometimes they all want to do one thing,
when I need only one for that job.
Funny, they fight over who gets to do the work!
Overall, it gives a good way to organize your thoughts and training schedule for your children.
It includes ways to use charts, rewards, consequences, approximate ages
to start and when you can expect them to master it, etc.
Overall, this will be of use to me.
Since we are using the Moore Formula, service (which includes household duties)
is a part of our "school".
Jo Dee
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