Allocating housework amongst family - does this work for anyone?

1sttimer_2

My OH is doing his best at the mo (now i wonder what he's after!). His job is to load/unload the dw, which he does, but he now helps by hanging out the washing - although I have been known to follow him to hang it out right:rolleyes: But it is a vast improvement.

DD2 is getting worse - I've decided I'm in no rush to do her washing/ironing if she's in no rush to do housework, so if she needs anything I will do it on a swap basis. I'll have to wait to see if that idea works.

I used to let them help me all the time when they were small and I was a SAHM, the washing up took forever as it was more like playtime with them. We did the same with the handwash clothes but it didn't make her think about it any better, she now has a basket full of handwash items that's been there for months It has taught her one thing - she now looks at the washing label before buying anything :rotfl:

buxtonrabbitgreen

have to now edit what I said on last page, as son decided to clean his room with no prompting. I couldnt believe it when I saw him taking the vac up too. Mind you it usually has to have a new belt after he hoovers, as his bedroom is always full of screws and bits of solder.

lilmisskitkat

Theres only me and DD, with boyf staying over a few nights a week - i'm gonna have to train him before we move in together! He thinks that wet towels belong on the bedroom floor lol.

DD (4) makes her bed every morning (well she straightens the duvet and lines her teddies up, i make it properly later) and keeps her room tidy. She also puts her clothes in the wash basket when she gets undressed at night. For this she gets £2 a week which she usually spends on a comic and a bar of choccie or sweets on a Saturday.

I do the rest

Kate xxx

Savvy_Sue

lister wrote:

Ladies - I think you are missing a possible trick in educating teenage sons to do housework.

What you need to do is explain to them that most young ladies will much prefer a young man who looks after himself and his environment rather than living like a particularly grubby neanderthal. Whether or not they believe you is another matter, but it is their loss if they don't...

You have to know your sons first. My lads are reasonably well house-trained by the time they leave home, but if I used the 'getting a gf' argument as my main one I'd be onto a loser, because they're just not interested! :rotfl:

No, my argument is that you won't always have me to look after you, either you'll leave home or I will. So when mine go into 6th form they are made responsible for their own laundry. And they get to help cook more - all 3 of them can cook bacon pasta, anything like fish fingers and chips, anything with mince or pasta etc. But as they're no longer on school dinners then they get to make decisions more etc. They already do the washing up. Yes, all of it. No, that's not enough. I said ALL of it!

Cleaning? What's that? Have had the youngest wielding the vacuum cleaner against the cobwebs just lately - what is the point of being taller than your mother if you don't do the jobs she can't manage very easily? But generally it gets pretty bad before anyone does anything. But they all CAN use a vacuum cleaner, and know it needs emptying sometimes ...

In fact must go and finish off the bathroom, came here looking for a decluttering thread, do you feel better for it? Anyone know where that one is? Because I don't, I just feel hot and bothered ...

foreverskint

:eek: I musst be one of the lucky ones then or else really scary :eek:

All of my family muck in, and never moan (or not much ). The youngest is three and since she could first walk, has been encouraged to put her dirty washing in the basket. No one complains here and just gets on with it.

My kids can cook clean load the washingmachine dishwasher and Iron. (not the 3 yearold obviously ), and just get on with sstuff without even being asked. The eldest aare 14 and 12 and are both girls. Yesterday the eldest stripped the kitchen out and cleaned it all, whilst the 12 year old looked after the youngest.

I really believe it is just training from a young age, and a little extra pocket money and thanks go a long long way:rotfl:

vivaladiva

Came looking for this thread after fuming at my lot. Some nice ideas here.

Foreverkint - would you mind swapping families for a while?

snoozer

My father was the original MCP to the extent that when my DH (then B/F) made him a cup of coffee and asked him how many sugars he turned to mum and said "How many sugars do I take Margaret?":eek: He even told me when I was in the second year of my degree course and mum went into hospital for an op that if anything happened to her I would have to leave uni to look after him and my 4 brothers:eek: DH wasn't pleased because we were engaged then.

I purposely chose a partner as little like my father as possible and thankfully my DH does help around the house. The trouble is we're neither of us very good housekeepers and the kids aren't much better. but at least they can cook and fend for themselves.

angelatgraceland

Maybe everybodys should pay a few quid to employ a cleaner instead if they all refuse to pull their weight. Its so tempting to do the jobs yourself though, isnt it? I try to give each of mine, the job they are "best" at. I'm lucky that dh does a lot of the washing, I rarely iron anything(its a waste of time and electric) dh does all gardening. DD does half of washing up and ds doesny do alot at all but as he is full time student and also works part time, I only ask the odd job from him such as washing or vaccuuming the car out. They like lifts-they can clean the car is how I feel about it. I'm gradually getting them to cook for themselves as we rarely eat together anyway. The bathroom is the worst-only I can seem to gt it truly clean. Each must do their own room for no reward apart from having a room to call their own. Dd does get money for chores as I dont give regular pocket money. We tried rotas but they didnt work-its still a case of delegating(when Ive got the energy). I find its most sucessful when I say something like"After tea I would lik X to wash up". Giving a warning of expectations seems to be better than just expecting something done when I suddenly decide upon it. They all have short memories(it suits them).

justin138

That's it! I'm going to clone Justin for all you lovely ladies (and make my fortune in the process). He's brilliant at doing all housework / cooking / washing / ironing / cleaning etc. etc. AND makes me any beautiful cupboards / shelves (from scraps of wood) that I desire. He's perfect. (Mind you, he's 18 years younger than me, so is fitter for the purpose, and I trained him well before we wed; "get em young, train em well" I say).

Very happily married
Jo

taplady

:mad: Not having much luck with my lot yet!

Successes so far:

both boys have changed their sheets.
DS1 mowed lawns and took hedge clippings to skip.
DS2 dried up once:rolleyes:
DS2 put most of his laundry in basket.DS1 didn't!:mad:

Thats the total of their help in the last week!

It is hard to try and pin them down to show them how to do these jobs when you work full-time but its because I work full-time that they need to help more! OH is ill with a bad back at the moment and cant do a lot but he does cook for them when I'm at work and wash up and also hangs the washing out and gets it in again but thats the lot!

Must persevere!:rolleyes: