Man teaching his son how to clean the sink

 

Let’s face it: none of us like doing housework. And yet the work has to be done. Why it is so important that you get your children, and especially the boys, used to regular tasks at home, is what we want to tell you. And we’ll tell you how to get your little (male) lazy people to become household heroes and let them clean their beds instead of just hiring cleaners like getting a mattress cleaning in Singapore.

Now a confession that I think many of you could endorse: Most of the housework is done by me, the mom, at home. Cleaning, laundry, vacuuming, shopping, doctor’s mine for the children – all organized by mom. Right? Oh, and lets moms go to work too.

Yes, my husband helps at home. He takes on one or the other task. But he only does that when I ask him to. Alone, he would not come up with the idea of reaching for a vacuum cleaner for decades. And why is that?

Because that’s how he learned it, from home – and here I have to admit my own guilt – from me. Because it is often the case that I do it quickly myself. Because then it’s the way I want it to be and just done. But that is the wrong way. For me and also for my children. Because we show them that mom manages the chaos at home – but also often complains about it.

No more complaining

But housework is also about equality. And if we want our children – boys and girls alike – to be treated equally in all areas of life, then we must also set an example of how things can be done better within our own four walls. How everyone is happier when everyone does their part. Also for housework. And that’s why we have to teach our children that housework must be shared fairly and that the woman does not do most of the work.

So in order for your sons and daughters to learn from the beginning that household concerns man and woman and must be shared equitably, you should consider these things with yourselves.

1. Divide housework fairly

Leading by example is the motto here. Let your children see how you share the household fairly. If in doubt, create a plan of all tasks to be completed weekly. Subjectively, the other person always does less than you do.

It is important that everyone sticks to the plan. This applies to the dads as well as to the moms. Even if that means that dad does it very differently than mom and the result may not quite meet her expectations.

2. Don’t do everything in one day

I used to hate it when my mother announced on Saturday that today would be cleaned and tidied up again. Tidying up rooms, vacuuming, dusting – the prospect of three hours of cleaning immediately spoiled my desire.

But if you spread the tasks over different days, you have to invest at most half an hour a day and yet the big chaos does not break out. Quite the opposite.

 

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3. Beware of role clichés

Mum and daughter take care of the kitchen, while dad and son take care of the workshop. No, that’s not how it should work. Anyone can do everything at home. Dad sews on buttons, the son does the dishes, the daughter takes out the garbage, mom goes shopping and everyone helps to store the food. There are no classic women’s and men’s jobs in the household.

Sure, if dad can cook better than mom and enjoys it, then he’s welcome to do it more often. But that doesn’t mean that mom has more fun cleaning the bathroom and therefore does it more often.

4. Free time for everyone

Make sure you are fair and just when it comes to distributing chores, but also when it comes to free time. Show your children that necessary things have to be done, but that you never have to put yourself on the back burner.

This is especially true for your daughters. Girls often tend to put their own interests behind them. You could also say that they do their jobs more conscientiously than boys and therefore take less time for themselves. Therefore, certain works are also limited in terms of time. And makes something nice together after the work is done.

5. Make things together

Excursions are already made together in the family. But have you ever tried to clean up together as a family? This is much more fun with everyone. Turns up music that everyone likes, sweeps, wipes, and cleans up the apartment for half an hour. You will all be amazed at what you can do together in such a short time.

You should also cook together much more often as a family. After all, this is also part of the housework. Everyone gets a task: cutting vegetables to setting sauce. Then the family meal tastes much better.