Although it took a few more days than anticipated to get the chore chart up in it's place, the kids have been doing their chores since the day the chart was created.
I wasn't sure if the kids would be responsive to the idea of set chores. Dave & I want the kids to be able to care for themselves and also contribute to the keeping of the home, their home. What I didn't want was to have to be constantly reminding them what their chores are and to complete them. Nagging and aggravation isn't what I want from this.
It hasn't been much of a surprise that Emily is very on target when it comes to getting her daily and home chores done along with some additional jobs. Of course, her motivation tends to be the allowance she earns if she does her jobs. Matt on the other hand needs a little more "reminding". Thankfully I only have to say "have you checked the chart" in order to get him to check in on his tasks. Our rule is if you don't complete the tasks for the day, you don't get paid. Yes, even if they miss just one job, they don't earn their day's wage.
I do have to report how nice it is to turn over some of the daily chores to the kids. Seeing them pitching in even though they are not always sure how or why they are doing it gives Dave & I the satisfaction of knowing that they are learning skills that will benefit them later in life. The other day I had Matt helping me with laundering his sheets. He asked me "why do we have to learn this?" I answered "because you need clean clothes and you won't be living at home all your life". He seemed satisfied with the answer and helped me to the very end.
All in all the chore chart is a success and looks amazing hanging on the wall!!
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