It's Not Just About Chores

Our family has handled chores many different ways over the years.  We have used charts, popsicle sticks, consequences, rewards and money to assign chores and motivate completion.  My husband comes from a background where he had to work (hardcore) as long as he could remember and was sometimes (rarely) compensated.  I, on the other hand, was never expected to do anything.  I was SPOILED and our family is still suffering the consequences.  After I was married I learned to cook, sew and complete projects around the house.  I'm still learning to be organized and tidy, much to the dismay of my dear husband.  When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 1 Corinthians 13:11

Because of my upbringing, we have always sought to equip our kids with life skills such as cooking and cleaning.  Kids have a desire to learn and I want to capitalize on that eagerness.  I also believe it is best for them to contribute to the household responsibilities. Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. Ecclesiastes 4:9

Our current system looks something like a calendar, except it is an exact 28 days (4 weeks).  Every box has a list of chores to be accomplished on that day.  There are only four chores on Sunday (load/unload dishwasher, feed the animals, empty the litter box, and empty the trash).  Those chores are done every day.  Other weekly and monthly responsibilities are distributed throughout the other six days each week - things such as dusting, sweeping, mopping, watering plants, etc.  Each child (an mom) is assigned a color and I color-code the chores each day to help us keep track of who does what. But all things should be done decently and in order. 1 Corinthians 14:40

While the chores and responsibility are important to me, there is much more going on when I assign the chores.  The chore assignments have become a reward in themselves.  Our kids struggle with getting out of bed on time, so sometimes I let the children who are up first choose their chores.  Other times, like tonight, I asked the kids whom they think should be able to choose first.  It is good for our kids to recognize the good in each other.  Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 Our son was nominated by his sisters, one because his birthday is coming up and the other because boys always have to let girls go first and she wanted him to have a chance at being first.  It was funny to me because I would have chosen him because he was the first to complete his chores and schoolwork today.

The other thing I let the kids do sometimes is trade chores.  This gives them experience in bargaining, compromising and being persuasive.  One also had to face the reality of being told "no, thank you" when the other decided that what she had was better than what she was being offered.  Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment... 1 Timothy 6:6

When we set out to teach our kids to do chores, we never anticipated it would end up being about so much more!

Hidden Gems in Polished Cornerstones

I didn't realize that I wanted my daughters to be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace until I came across Doorposts.  They are some awesome people who have a multitude of publications dealing with character to help the rest of us raise our children to honor God inwardly and outwardly.

Polished Cornerstones is the first of their publications that we have implemented in our homeschool curriculum.  We discovered it at a conference and began using it the following Monday.  The book takes the girls (and their mother) through a variety of activities as they study qualities found in a Godly woman.  For each quality, there is a list of Bible verses and suggested activities for younger and older girls.  Families may choose as many activities as they like before moving on to the next section.

Although I have two beginners and one intermediate, I have chosen to do intermediate activities with all of them so far.  We do the discussions and activities together and greatly enjoy doing so.  For example, the girls and I read Proverbs 31 together and then categorized the woman's traits according to a worksheet in the book.  The next week, we read the book of Ruth.  I planned to only read one chapter a day for a week, but the girls were so upset when I closed my Bible on the first day that we finished the story in one day.  A couple of days later we used another worksheet to compare Ruth to the Proverbs 31 woman.  Between activities, we discuss what we read and process through it a little more.  Each evening, the girls are eager to tell their dad about what they learned that day and he asks questions to further their understanding.

Anything that gets my girls excited about becoming a more Godly woman is great with me (and my husband). Polished Cornerstones is a crowd pleaser in our house and I look forward to using more of Doorposts' resources in the future.

By the way, to learn about plants and polished cornerstones, read Psalm 144:12-15.