It is not uncommon to hear of parents who would pay their children to do chores. But there have always been two schools of thought: parents who think that paying their kids to do their chores is a good thing and parents who would never pay their children simply because they are firm believers that children should also pull their own weight when it comes to the upkeep of their home.
Just take a moment to consider this hypothetical situation:
“Sweetie, can you help me to fold the laundry?”
“Okay, mummy, but how much will you pay me to do it?”
Or better still:
“Done playing with your toys? Then clean up.”
“Sure mum. Am I getting paid for that?”
See what we mean? Which leads us back to the question: “Should parents use money as a form of encouragement for children to do their everyday chores?” Here are 5 solid reasons why you might want to rethink things through.
#1 Everyone in the family should pull their own weight
And this should be regardless of gender and age as long as the young ones get simple, age-appropriate chores to do. Just think back to our own families back when we were young. If you grew up in a typical Asian family, you would have done a variety of household chores without ever dreaming of expecting any form of payment or reward. We just did as we were told.
Regardless of whether parents escaped chores themselves or not, teaching children to pull their own weight is still important. Everyone should play their part when it comes to keeping the house clean and running smoothly because that is part of being a family. You are doing the right thing by starting your children young with daily house chores because that will cultivate the right attitude in them for the future. Even if you feel like you won’t benefit much from it now; their spouses will surely thank you later.
#2 Why pay so that your kids obey and do good deeds?
If you pay them, wouldn’t that just teach them to expect something in return all the time? Children need to learn that doing household chores in itself shows good behaviour and obedience, which should not warrant any reward. By instilling this, children would grow up generous and learn to offer help to others without expecting anything in return. So nevermind if they groan and complain about it because it is for the better good. Besides, if they learn to do chores now, you can rest assured knowing that they will have the skill set to look after themselves in the future.
#3 Teach them a sense of duty
Just think about it. Do parents get paid for chauffeuring their kids around? Do they get compensated for doing the laundry or putting food on the table? No, they simply do it because they love their children and are doing their duties as parents. So likewise, children shouldn’t expect to be compensated for chores assigned to them, since it benefits the whole family. They should be doing them because it is their duty to do so.
#4 Of course, you can still teach them about money
Of course, some might argue that paying for chores teaches money management and exposes children to the topic of earning money. Still, parents should not pay for something their kids should rightfully do. You can certainly reward them for other instances, like during a charity event or when they achieve something extraordinary on their own efforts. Plus there are other ways to teach them to manage their money without paying wages, like giving them an allowance and showing them ways to save and budget.
#5 Pride and satisfaction is enough
The reward for cleaning a house is that everyone gets to live in a clean house. So teach your children to take pride in a job well done and to enjoy their efforts instead of expecting a monetary reward. Your children will do well in the future with this mindset because even at minimum wage, they will be grateful for what they have and still do an exceptional job. More importantly, when they stand out with qualities like that, it will definitely open up more opportunities for promotions and better remuneration.
In closing
So before you decide to write out a paycheck for your children, weigh out the pros and cons, along with the 5 points mentioned. It is important to note that sharing chores benefits the entire family. And since all of us benefit from it, hence it is only fair that all of us do our parts without payment. Don’t you think?
