Should kids be paid for doing chores?

It is what it says! Curious to hear what everyone's doing. And by chores I mean everyday stuff (like putting dirty clothes in the hamper and putting toys back in the toybox), not big special projects.

 

I'm assuming this might have come about as a result of my mention of "commission" in the piggy bank thread, so it may surprise you that I say "other." My thinking is that, at this age, simple every day things still need to be learned. So, right now I am paying them for those things. But, as they get older those simple chores will stop being part of our commission plan. For example, right now, "Put dirty clothes in the hamper" is something they get money for. But, once that starts to become not such a big deal to remember and do, it will be replaced with something more complicated and it will just become something they do because they are part of our family. I even have, "Get dressed" on their list right now because they are just learning how to do that and still need help sometimes. I'm trying to encourage them to do it more independently so they only ask for help when they really need it.

It is sort of like rewarding for potty training. While they are learning, we set up rewards. However, you don't plan to continue those rewards forever! After they learn, there is no challenge or difficulty to reward for. But, when they are first starting out, it is hard! So, we feel their effort is something to be rewarded.

I foresee that by the time they are teens only big things like mowing the lawn or detailed (not everyday) cleaning will be part of our commission plan. But, in the mean time I am going to take advantage of the opportunity that commission gives to teach good money management skills. After all, if kids never earn money, they can never really learn about how to manage it! I'd rather instill these skills in my kids over the years than try to give them a crash course as teens when they might get their first job.

 

No. we don't pay our kids to do anything that is expected of them as part of the family. Regular chores, laundry, picking up toys, clearing their plates from the table, doing whatever I ask is not paid for.
We will pay them to do extra chores sometimes like cleaning windows.

 

I don't plan on paying mine to do chores. I don't want them expecting to get paid for everything. I don't want to put it in there head that the only way they will help out is if money is involved. I just don't want to send that message to my kids.....providing an external motivation to pitch in as a family. I think everyone in the family needs to pull there own weight.....everyone needs to learn to give and to share. I have heard the arguments about it is a good way to teach responsibilty with money, but I think there are other ways to teach that responsibility without paying them to do household chores.

 

I voted other.
Mostly I would say no, they should not be paid for normal everyday things. However if you're just starting out getting them to do things at an older age (where they haven't before), or if you need to encourage them to get things done quickly (eg in the morning so you can get out the house) then I think a sticker chart, or something similar, can be a good way to get them to cooperate at first. Like Stacy said it would not continue forever but it can be useful in getting them used to the 'chores' or mean fewer tantrums if they're in a stubborn phase.

 

We're not doing any kind of reward right now because they still get a big thrill out of being good helpers. We're going to ride that as long as we can.

I put other, though, because we'll probably move to an allowance at some point when they understand money a little better, and that allowance will be linked to chores but not directly tied to each task. So if they simply refuse to do some things, we would not hand over the allowance until the chore was done. It was kind of an all-or-nothing thing, though: even if I did the dishes and cooked my dinner and folded all the laundry that week, if I hadn't cleaned my room, I didn't get my allowance. Hmmm, now that I type that out it seems kind of harsh.

In the next couple of years, I would be more likely to do a chore chart with stickers than payment. Again, because money is nothing to them right now but something to tease me with by putting it in their mouths

 

Oh, I've been thinking about this topic and wanted to add that I don't want to put such a high value on money at such a young age so that is why we would never use money to reward a toddler or young child.

Upon further thought we do "reward" our kids for doing everyday chores, just not with money. We do it with a big "thank you" and a :hug: and if they've done a great job all week maybe we'll do a picnic in the living room for dinner and watch a movie (special family time) because we've such a great week.

 

I voted no. I expect them to learn to do certain things (mostly cleaning up after themselves, which seems to be a big enough hurdle right now) just as their contribution to the family. I also don't know what they'd really do with money right now, except lose it and then expect me to find it for them.

When they are older (I have no idea how much older), they'll get an allowance and will be expected to do more chores as part of earning their allowance. I am also willing to pay them for bigger chores or special projects, like (I dunno) helping me clean out the garage or weeding the garden. But I'm not going to trust them with that for a few years yet!