 As parent, I am sure you are anxious for your children, no matter
their current ages, to grow up as strong, independent, full-functioning
adults. You want them to have self-initiative, to be hardworking, to be
honest and diligent. You want them to be something special.
How do you systematically do this?
May I suggest you make a complete listing, on 3" x 5" index cards, of
all the skills which you feel your children will need as they mature into
adults. (See the Teaching Children to
Work Plan PACKET for pre-printed cards and the Teaching Children to Work Plan DIVIDERS
for the pre-printed index card dividers.) This list of skills
will include simple tasks within the capacities of younger children and more
difficult and complex tasks for children, teenagers and young adults as they
prepare to leave the home. It will prove useful to use each summer vacation to train your children in these
various skills. It is helpful if each child in your family is involved in
dusting part of the house, vacuuming a room, cleaning part of the bathroom(s),
and cleaning part of the kitchen. He or she should be involved with doing
the laundry, fixing meals and cleaning up afterwards, and helping with yard
work. It is not
so important that children be working for long hours during their summer
vacation. Quite on the contrary, let them have a spread of
responsibilities which will allow them exposure to all kinds of housework,
cooking at least several meals a week, helping with the laundry, and aiding with
the yard work. Have small time commitments for younger children and
reasonable periods of work for older children. It really doesn't take that much time to keep the house in order, the laundry
done, the meals prepared, and the yard work finished if everyone has
their individual responsibilities and is competently completely them. Of course, that means you will need a system for motivation, a system for
inspection, and a system for reward, but many a creative family has come up with
ways to help themselves through these challenges. You will find that your
children will have interesting ways to motivate, inspect, and receive
rewards. Usually, they are their own best task masters. Each and every time a child begins a job of his own initiative, completes a job
well, and receives sufficient praise for his work, he becomes more and more
confident of finding his place in the world. One of the best gifts you can
give your children is teaching them the values, wonders, and feelings of a job
well done. Choose the skills you would like them to learn, teach them diligently during the
summer months, let them retain their favorite jobs during the school year, and
then repeat the process again with more difficult and complex jobs the next
summer. Soon your children will become quite adult-like. They may
complain occasionally, but they will also be looked up to by their peers as they
become independent, dependable, and competent. Find more helpful ideas in the "House
of Order" Handbook, Chapter 17, "Training Children to Work", or order
a "Teaching Children to Work"
Plan PACKET and a set of "Teaching
Children to Work" Plan DIVIDERS. You may also be interested in purchasing clear, plastic 3" x 5" index
card slipcovers to keep your cards neat and clean. Also see: Teaching
Children to Obey, "Teaching Children to Obey". |
