no. 42 - The Chores Episode

We may be known these days as unmillennials, but at one time we were "latch-key" kids. And as such, most of us arrived home in the afternoons to man the fort either alone or with our siblings and very likely were met with a daily list of chores our parent or parents left for us. 

So when we find ourselves deep in parenting this new iGen generation and realizing that their idea of clean up is deleting files off their phone to make room for a new game, we gotta ask... is this okay?

In today's episode on Chores, I'm owning up to my own struggle to teach my kids the value of hard work in the home and instilling in them the kind of "your contributions to this family matter" attitude that promotes self-worth and a can-do attitude. While "chores" may seem simply like a means to "get stuff done," they're actually an integral part of teaching kids to grow into self-sustaining, self-assured adults. (And yes, it doesn't hurt for mom or dad to have one less load of laundry to do as well.)

In this show, you'll be introduced to Becky Mansfield of Your Modern Family. Becky's warmth and gentle spirit are infectious and she inspires in me a desire to create a better routine for my children. Throughout the episode we discuss:

• the importance of chores
• how it may actually be worse to "do" for your kids rather than helping them learn how to "do" for themselves
• the difference between an assigned chore and a daily responsibility
• how to start a routine when you - the parent - don't really feel like doing Pinterest-worthy "chore charts"
• plus a bonus discussion about the realization Becky made about how kids do better when they're forced to turn off separate screens and actually watch TV together

I close out the show with a quick follow up discussion on an email I sent to Becky about how all of this should change/shift to accommodate busy school weeks. I also share with listeners the personal update on having to "cancel" Panera Fridays in favor of a new, quicker Friday morning routine.

(And I hope that any of you who have started your OWN routines will tag me on social media and share your routine with me directly. I'm LOVING all the ones you've already told me about! Seriously, it makes my heart sing to see these sweet family memories take shape.) 

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Until next time,

~Regan

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Musical support provided by Ben Williams at Kudzu Studio. Website support provided by Katy Widrick at MakeMediaOver.com. Additional support provided by Robin Plotkin of RobinsBite.com.