9 Strategies to Save on Groceries

With gas prices at an all time high, are you searching for ways to reduce your spending in other areas? In our household, we’ve renewed our interest in using coupons and for added savings we target double-coupon days. Here I’ve offered 7 ways to save money on household groceries.

1. Cut coupons – Each Sunday I look forward to receiving the newspaper, where we receive upwards of 100 coupons in our Sunday newspaper.

2. Download coupons off the internet – Check out www.coolsavings.com or www.couponcart.com for great on-line deals on your favorite items.

3. Join frequent buyer clubs at your local grocers – These no-cost programs offer club members on select products. In my last grocery trip I saved $15 as a member of my local grocer’s club and another $10 in clipped coupons.

4. Join a local warehouse club – Locally we have a Costco and Sam’s Club, as well as a Super Target and Super Walmart, where I have found significant savings over our name brand supermarkets. The wholesale clubs can save you 20

5. Purchase generic brands and/or store brands – I have often compared store brands to name brands and find that there is rarely a difference between the two. In fact, like many other products we purchase (i.e., electronics, appliances), the same manufacturer that makes the name brand often manufactures the generic product.

6. Purchase fresh products instead of processed/packaged products – It’s no surprise that fresh unprocessed foods are healthier for us, but these foods not only save in calories, but are also less expensive than packaged and processed foods.

7. Prepare a List – when you go to the store with a plan, you are less likely to succumb to impulse purchases. Check out the ‘All Out Of’ shopping list notepad that allows you to create your grocery list as you deplete household items. It has a magnet on the back so you can affix it to your frig.

8. Shop your supermarket’s weekly specials – Each week we receive our local supermarket’s brochure of advertised specials, which often include two for one sales. These circulars will also advertise double-coupon days. During double-coupon days and two for one specials, I’ve taken the opportunity to stock up on often used staples.

9. Choose products on the top and bottom shelves – It is no accident that higher priced products appear at eye-level on our grocery shelves. These are often the smaller sizes of a product, which typically have a higher per unit cost.

Originally posted 2008-08-24 09:24:48. Republished by Old Post Promoter

Chores and Contracts

An important part of implementing a household chore system is creating a formal agreement, commonly called a contract, for every member of the household. A contract defines the parent’s expectations and provides direction and parameters for the children. A contract can be a general form explaining household rules or a complex detailing of chore responsibilities for a specific person. For households with teenagers or even adults who shirk their responsibilities around the home, contracts can help pave the way to a new, orderly household in where everyone formally agrees to carry their own weight.

One main advantage of using contracts as part of a household chore system is that it reduces confusion about what needs to get done how, when, where and by whom. Contracts allow both the chore assigner and the chore assignee to agree on specifics. If chore processes are outlined in black and white, expectations are more likely to be understood and chores are more likely to be completed. For a household newly introduced to a formal routine of chores, contracts can be an invaluable tool for negotiating the maintenance of and organization the home.

Contract types aren’t limited in content. It should reflect the family’s personality and values. When devising your own, consider important areas that you’d like it to cover. Some common topics touched upon in contracts are listed below.

• Behavior. Outline acceptable and unacceptable behavior and attitudes towards chores. Provide guidelines for interaction with other household members also participating in the chore routine.

• Description of chores. Detail what specific chores are expected to be completed by each family member. Step-by-step descriptions reduce confusion and make the successful completion of each chore non-negotiable.

• Time line and dates. Define the time line that chores are to be complete. Also take the opportunity to insert clauses about periodic contract review times in which a signer can look forward to having their contract modified.

• Consequences and Rewards. Make signers accountable to their contract by reminding them what the consequences and rewards are for abiding by the contract or by breaking it. Define specific consequences and rewards, including punishments. Put figures into contracts if you’re working with allowances.

• Miscellaneous. Add anything else that you feel is important to include in the contract. Many parents think to add stipulations to the contract here. For example, they may say that rewards for completed chores are forfeited if homework is not completed, household rules aren’t respected or if the chore performer is disrespectful about completing the chore.

It’s inevitable that as a household evolves, its needs will change as well. Making an allowance for future contract modifications, on top of the agreed to review period, can keep all family members satisfied with its contents.

By developing contracts that parallel the needs of your family, its members perceive their agreements to keep a household functional to be binding. Don’t be surprised if you find a new, more committed attitude toward the upkeep of your home, from the entire family, when a formal agreement is in place.

Originally posted 2008-09-05 11:58:15. Republished by Old Post Promoter

Are you prepared for an emergency?

March is Red Cross Month. As we approach the season of increased weather related emergencies, we are reminded of the unprecidented natural disasters of 2008. At no time in my lifetime can I remember so many natural emergencies occurring so close together. 

Regardless of how busy our daily lives are, we must take personal responsibility for our own care and safety by developing a preparedness plan in the event of a national emergency.  As the Red Cross says “Help Starts with You.”  Preparedness is all about planning ahead, having what you need on hand, storing things in an accessible way and making sure you know what to do before you need to put that knowledge into practice. Even though predicting every disaster scenario is impossible, preparing the basics is smart and simple. Take the time NOW to accomplish the below steps and your family will be basically prepared for any natural or unnatural disaster.

• Prepare a Family Communication/Reunion Plan. The Plan enables your family to communicate and to meet during a disaster. It records all important phone numbers, email addresses, and meet-up locations so that family members can reach one another by phone, email or in person. But keep in mind that you may not be able to rely on land or mobile phone communication, so be sure to have a back up plan.
• Stock three days and three nights of provisions to get you through 72-hours of living without electricity. The provisions are obtainable at any Walmart or Target and most large grocery stores. Just add these items to your regular shopping list.
  • One gallon of water per person per day (for three days). For a family of four, you’ll need 12 gallons of water.
  • Ready to eat, non-perishable food (dried fruit, cereal. protein bars, canned food, crackers, soups, pasta, rice, peanut butter and jelly, pudding cups, powdered milk are highly recommended)
  • Paper plates, cups, dinnerware, paper towels, plastic food bags, plastic gloves and a manual can opener
  • One flashlight per person plus extra batteries
  • Travel size toiletries, including sun screen
  • A First Aid Kit for the home, one for the car and one for the grab and go bag.
• In a central location put a change of clothes for each family member plus extra underwear and blankets and basic toiletries like soap, toothbrush, shampoo, toilet paper and razors. Use a shelf, an extra large plastic trash bin, or an extra large plastic container for these items.
• Have a supply of cash for a 72-hour period. ATMs may not be an option.
• Prepare a supply of family over-the counter and prescription medicines.  Remember the pets too.
• Purchase a NOAA weather radio. Radio Shack, Walmart, Home Depot and Ace Hardware carry them. Set it for your county. It will tell you the status of the disaster, evacuation information, and alerts. Get a transistor radio with batteries. It will tell you local conditions, school closings, travel hazards, and local shelters. While you’re there pick up a landline telephone (it costs under $12.00)
• Pack a grab and go bag (backpack or small rolling luggage) in case you have to evacuate your home to a hotel, shelter or relative’s home. Keep it light with just the basics: toiletries, change of clothes, medicine, 2 bottles of water, protein bars and cell phone.
• One person in the family needs to carry a first aid kit.
• Depending on your family, add special items like extra eyeglasses, favorite plush toys, or portable electronic games.
• A dust mask, duck tape, scissors, a whistle, can opener and other similar items.
• Copy the contents of your wallet (both sides of credit cards, insurance cards, and license). Stick it in a grab and go bag.
• Prepare for the care of your pets too – food, water and food bowl, leash, a toy, medications, vet records.
• For a complete, portable document system, get a PortaVault at http://www.securitaonline.com.

Schedule a natural preparedness day to review your plan with your family. Everyone needs to take personal responsibility for their own safety when a natural disaster does occur. Then practice your family disaster plan at least twice per  year.

For more information on developing your family’s disaster plan, visit:

American Red Cross - “Help Starts With You”

www.Ready.gov

Originally posted 2009-03-17 10:50:07. Republished by Old Post Promoter

John Rosemond is my Hero!

When I began writing my book, Mom, Can I Help Around the House? I consulted the expertise of many highly regarded child experts. One of my favorites is John Rosemond. Several years ago, I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to attend a presentation of his at my church and found his traditional philosophies about raising children to be identical to my own. I have read several of his books as well. This week I happened upon an article by John Rosemond that I had to include on my blog. His no-nonsense approach just tells it like it is, and I believe today’s parents need reminders like this to bring them back to reality of what our role is of a parent. This is what my book and chore system is all about, but I could never say it as eloquently as John Rosemond has in the following article.

Teach children the skills they need to be independent

The purpose of raising a child is to get him or her out of your life and into a life of his/her own.

1. Put yourself at the center of your child’s attention, not the other way around. It is a simple matter to discipline a child who is paying attention to you and nigh-unto impossible to discipline a child who is not.

In that regard, always keep in mind that the more attention you pay a child, the less attention the child will pay to you.

2. Put your child into a meaningful role in your family, one that is defined in terms of responsibilities known as chores (remember them?).  By the time your child is 4 years old, he should be contributing significant time and effort on a daily basis to the maintenance of the household.Your child’s chores should not be assigned haphazardly, but should be established as a routine.

In addition to picking up after himself and keeping his own living space clean and orderly, he should be working in “common areas” of the home, doing such things as dusting and vacuuming.

You do tell people that your child is gifted, do you not?

Without chores, a child is a mere consumer, on a perpetual entitlement program, and entitlements do not strengthen people or culture. Grow a strong child.

3. Keep television and other electronic media out of your child’s life until your child has learned to read well and is self-entertaining.The research is clear that electronic media shortens attention span, interferes with the development of certain critical thinking skills and develops a dependency that leads to frequent complaints of boredom.

Remember that an average of just two hours of “screen time” a day means your child is absorbing electronic stimulation to the tune of 730 hours a year. That’s the equivalent of eighteen 40-hour work weeks.

Think of the creativity that’s being lost. Grow a child with a strong brain.

4. From day one, keep clutter out of your child’s life by keeping toys and other “stuff” at a minimum.
Paradoxically, children who entertain themselves well (low-maintenance children) tend to have few toys. These children are also more grateful for and take better care of what they have. Grow an imaginative, creative child.

5. Emphasize manners, not skills.

Sixty years ago, most children came to overcrowded first grades not knowing their ABCs, yet at the end of the year were reading at a higher level than today’s kids, most of whom are already reading in kindergarten.

That happened because parents of 60 years ago taught proper behavior, not skills; therefore, teachers taught skills, not proper behavior. Grow a polite child.

6. Love your child enough to grow a happy child.

Family psychologist John Rosemond answers parents’ questions on his Web site at www.rosemond.com.

As I write this, my two kids are happily doing their chores. To receive the first chapter of my book Mom, Can I Help Around the House? F’ree, visit href=”http://www.KidsandChores.net”>www.KidsandChores.net.

Originally posted 2008-12-13 19:28:33. Republished by Old Post Promoter

Don’t Kill the Kids and Other Babysitter Basics

For most parents, trying to go out for a night without the children can be a daunting task. There are many issues that you have to remember to tell any babysitter that when it comes to taking care of those that you hold dear. These issues are typically the same each time, so why recreate the wheel each time and rely on your frazzled brain to remember all the details. Make the task of updating your babysitter on everything that she needs to know easy and painless.

Most parents tell their babysitter as they stand by the door to head out, anything and everything that they can remember that she may need to know to take care of the children. By doing it this way, there are always going to be things that are left out of the list. Another problem is that the babysitter is never going to remember everything. The “DON’T KILL THE KIDS” list was created for this reason. This list has prompts that will make it easy for your babysitter to take care of your children.

Babysitters do not only have to worry about the children when it comes to taking care of your house. There are the pets to think about. Often times there will be things that the babysitter will have to do to take care of your precious animals. Make it easy on yourself when it comes to communicating this information. Use the “DON’T KILL THE PETS” list to make sure that you remember to give out every vital piece of information concerning your pets.

On-line resources for finding a babysitter or nanny in your area:

If you looking for a more organized and reliable way to find a babysitter, here are a couple of on-line resources for you to check out. I remember when sites like this first appeared on the web. Trust was an issue back in the early days of on-line resources. Today, these sites provide a wealth of information so you can research available babysitting and nanny candidates from the comfort of your own home. Features of these sites often consist of feedback ratings, references, tips and forums where moms can share their experiences.

SitterCity – Sittercity is a matchmaking service only and does not charge any fees for using care providers found on the site. In addition to babysitters, users can find nannies, petsitters, housesitters, elder care providers, and tutors. Sittercity is America’s first and largest online babysitter network, and the leading babysitter website.  Visit: www.SitterCity.com

Nannies4Hire – Besides relationships with Dr. Phil, Supernanny and the Discovery Channel/TLC to name a few, Nannies4Hire is teaming up with corporations to help find childcare for their employees. There is an extensive Resource Center on their site to help you through this process. Visit: www.Nannies4Hire.com

Originally posted 2008-12-08 06:37:47. Republished by Old Post Promoter

Chores and children … Mom, Can I Help Around the House?

In honor of the launch of my new book and family chore system, Mom, Can I Help Around the House? A Simple Step-by-step System for Teaching Your Children Life-long Skills for Pitching in and Picking up, earlier this year (http://www.KidsandChores.net), I am starting a new series about the importance of and the steps to teach your children household skills and responsibilities. There’s no better time than now to begin your kids on the path to learning to care for their belongings and to contribute to their family in a positive way.

Why are these skills important?

Many clients ask me this question?  My answer is that learning to care and manage a home is a skill.  If you believe that your kids will these skills just by observing you, then you are doing them a great disservice.  Life and home management skills are developed in the same way that other skills are developed – by doing, practicing and mastering.  These are the skills children need to manage their life now, as a young adult and as a parent.  Research supports this (which I’ll delve into in future posts), and the importance of children learning these skills when they are young, cannot be underestimated.

As I’ve observed in my work with clients, there seems to be less and less time for children to learn valuable organizing skills from their busy parents. Getting organized involves more than typical kid cleaning does. That is, shoving stuff under the bed and in the closets just isn’t going to cut it. Instead, kids need to think of organizing as an ongoing, and fun game of strategy.

To get started, first brainstorm the goals of organizing your child’s room or play area and be sure to involve your child in the process. Ask yourself, what do you want to accomplish… free up closet space, set-up a play area, purge unused toys, or all of the above? Once the goals for the space are identified, the project takes on a purpose and structure that will help your child to become excited and invested in the goal. By age 7-8 children appreciate being part of the strategizing process and take pride and ownership in their own space.

Next, get rid of broken and stuff rarely used. After an initial clutter clearing, it is easier to assess what needs to be stored in the space. Prepare your children for the purging process by explaining that their new holiday gifts need a place to live, so some old toys need to go to make room. I recommend the “in and out” inventory rule that I often use with adult clients too. Have your kids divide their toys into three piles.

• Keep – their favorites
• Donate – toys rarely used and in good shape
• Throw away – broken or worn out

Once you determine what your child is keeping, divide the keepers into categories, like art supplies, video games and action figures/dolls. Now you can determine what type of storage you need to store the keepers. A multi-functioning piece of furniture like a bookshelf is an excellent addition to a child’s room. For toys and other small items, I recommend labeled clear plastic bins or boxes. Keeping items visible and accessible is important for successful storage and retrieval. If they need it often, they should be able to get to it easily and put it away easily.

Still, no matter how many storage boxes you buy, getting kids organized won’t be instantaneous. Organization is a learned skill. Once the new toys have a home, kids need to understand the steps to and expectations for keeping their space and belongings organized. These new actions, done consistently, will take time to become habit. So consistency and patience on your part is key. Don’t expect the organization to happen overnight – but know that the rewards long-term, perhaps until the next holiday purge, are well worth the effort for both you and your child.

More on this topic in posts to come.

Originally posted 2008-08-20 07:50:31. Republished by Old Post Promoter

The Organized Student – Kids, Backpacks and Papers, Oh My!

I’m a busy mom with school-aged kids, so it goes without saying that we experience hectic school day mornings. If your mornings are chaotic like ours, follow these get-organized tips to ensure a smooth to and from school routine.

• Make mornings flow smoothly by getting everything ready the night before.
• Have school bags packed and placed by the door and tomorrow’s outfits laid out.
• Organize your kid’s departure and arrival spot (I call this the launching and landing pad). Declare a home for backpacks close to the door they leave and arrive. Install hooks at a kid-friendly height. My kids have a square wicker basket close to the door that they enter and leave for school where their backpacks go and other school related items. We place everything that needs to go to school in that basket. When they get home, everything, including shoes get placed there so they don’t get strewn all over the house.
• Keep school shoes by the door to eliminate the mad morning rush to find two matching shoes (this also cuts down on cleaning since kids leave dirty shoes at the door when they come in)
• Pre-pack the non-perishable parts of school lunches, so you can simply pop in a sandwich in the morning. Prepare for breakfast the night before by getting out cereal bowls and cups.
• Create a Kids’ Morning Routine checklist so no essential task gets overlooked, like forgetting to brush teeth or comb hair, and post it on the fridge and/or bathroom mirror.
• Likewise, create an “Out the Door” list of items they need to take to school, and post it on or near the exit door. Include items like homework, lunch, library books, gym shoes, instruments.  Include the time they need to be downstairs for breakfast and when they need to exit the house to meet the bus. This builds their time management skills rather than just waiting for your yelling “the bus is coming” to prompt them. I’ve included a  sample checklist that I created for my oldest daughter when she entered first grade. This made a huge improvement in her ability to stay focused and on task in the morning.

Place a clock in strategic locations in your children’s morning routine , like the bathroom, kitchen and their bedroom. Both my daughters have missed the bus at least once through the year by losing track of time while primping in the bathroom when there was no clock in sight.

 

After we adopted these strategies in our home, our mornings were much less chaotic. And my kids haven’t missed the bus since and gone are the days of mid-morning phone calls from a frantic child begging me to bring their homework or packed lunch they left at home.

To learn more family management strategies like this, my Home Organization Secrets for Busy Moms ebook is now on sale for $9.99 and can be immediately downloaded.

My Daughter’s Morning Schedule (in 1st grade)

Upstairs: Wake up at 7:00am

        Get dressed …

• Put on clean underpants
• Shirt & pants
• Socks – to match outfit
• Shoes – to match outfit
• Brush teeth & tongue
• Comb hair

** 30-45 minutes to get dressed – be ready to come downstairs by 7:45am **

Downstairs: be downstairs by 7:45am

• Come downstairs to kitchen to eat breakfast
• Check backpack to be sure everything has been put in
• Put on coat, gloves, hat
• Walk out door for bus at 8:05am

Originally posted 2009-10-26 22:05:38. Republished by Old Post Promoter

How to Set-up a System to Keep Important Life Documents in One Place

How many times have you torn apart your house trying to find an important document? Often times these documents contain important pieces of your life that need to be in easy access, especially in an emergency. For most people organizing the documents and items that make up our lives is not a priority until there is a crisis. Then most will search frantically for the needed information only to waste time and increase stress.  Take it from a Professional Organizer who has worked with hundreds of clients who put this uneccessary stress upon themselves because they haven’t been proactive to design a system or were not aware that there are ready-made products available that will solve these paper clutter issues. Before the next crisis, set up a system to keep all your important documents in one place.

Ahh … imagine the relief of immediately finding any piece of needed information in the exact location you expect it to be.  I searched and found a couple of great products/solutions that solve just this dillema for my clients. Each serve as a central repository for important life and family documents, designed to be kept in easy access.

LIFE.doc  is a ready-made binder by Buttoned Up to keep all of the critical information of your life together. Life.doc has eight tabbed sections designed to organize all of the pieces of information that are needed for most people to keep one’s personal life in control.

These eight sections that encompass the most critical areas of life are:

• family basics
• in sickness & in health
• insurance
• dollars & sense
• legal ease
• caregiver information
• home sweet home
• emergency plan

It also comes with an accompanying CD-ROM with interactive forms that work with Microsoft Word (PC or MAC) making it easy to complete forms digitally and save them to a computer.

This comprehensive and bright red sturdy binder composed of 120 pages of straightforward forms for easy access are a roadmap that make it painless to get organized.  Life.doc will give you and your family the peace of mind that whatever information that you may need will be easy to find. This is the way to make sure that your house stays in one piece the next time that you need to find a piece of your personal information.

The VALUABLES.doc is another way that you can keep the things that you need in your life in one place and inventoried. This is a complete kit that will make it easy for you to catalog and keep track of all of your belongings.

• Valuables.doc binder by Buttoned Up includes:
  Eight tabbed sections for you to record all of your valuables room-by-room
• Jewelry
• Collectibles
• Family/living room
• Kitchen
• Dining room
• Bedrooms
• Basement
• Other

So, if and when disaster may strike in your life, (remember Hurricane Katrina?) you will have the necessary documentation to recoup the loss of many of the valuable keepsakes in your life.

POCKET.doc

The Pocket.doc provides simple to fill out forms that easily fit into a wallet, purse or backpack. So you have critical emergency, medical, and contact information when and where you need it.

The Pocket.doc by Buttoned Up includes:
Three sections to ensure that you have your emergency plan, medical information and important phone numbers when you need it. What’s great about this little record book is that it is the size of a credit card and easily fits in wallets, backpacks, glove compartments and briefcases.

Perfect for busy families on the go.

Each of these products would make a practical gift for your loved ones.

Visit The Simplified Home to learn more and to purchase.

Originally posted 2009-10-22 16:18:22. Republished by Old Post Promoter

Learning to Say No – Mom’s Secret Weapon

Are you suffering from mom burn out? Do you struggle just to make it through each day? Moms everywhere are breaking down because they are too chicken to say, “No”.

“No” may be a tiny, two-letter word, but it can be your secret weapon. And you can say it. Here are some ways you can say “no” without feeling guilty about it: “Sorry, I’m taking a break.” The number one reason why you should say “no” occasionally is simply that you deserve a break. You are chef, chauffeur, dish washer, and more. Your job never ends on any given day of the week. You deserve a break. If you feel bad for saying “no”, say, “Sorry, I’m taking a break”. My schedule is full. We tend to jam-pack our schedule full of activities, leaving no time to just rest. Here are some tips for freeing up some of your time in your schedule.

• Cut back on your kids activities
• Start a car pool and share driving responsibilities
• Do whatever you can to free up some time in your schedule. I don’t have time. You’re headed out the door, rushing to the next appointment when the telephone rings. What do you do? Do you come to a screeching halt and answer the phone? Let’s say you do, and it’s a family member, calling to dump their latest woes on you. Do you stand, tapping your foot impatiently while you roll your eyes and listen to the sob story? This is a typical scene for many moms. I have another commitment that day. Say it and mean it.
• Regularly schedule in time with your family or time alone and if someone ask for your help during that time look in your planner and tell them you have another commitment.
• Instead of rushing to be everything to everyone, stop. Ask yourself if you truly have time to add more commitments to your calendar? If not, say no by walking away, turning off the ringer on the phone, or not answering the knock at your door.
• Always remember that you are a mom – not a super hero.

When you have to say no, people will understand. If they don’t at first, they will when you consistently set these boundaries and stick to them.

Learning to say no will get easier the more you say it.

Children, Household Chores and Entitlement

A common mistake that parents make when delegating household chores to children is remunerating children for their efforts around the house. The reasons for offering money to children to complete chores can stem from a desire to reward children for a good job or to even bribe them to do chores without fuss. Regardless of the reason, the outcome of this practice can negatively impact children’s understanding of themselves, their place in the world and their internal belief system.

The dramatic shift in culture between the 1960s and the 1970s ushered in a new wave of parents who largely believed that letting “kids just be kids” and relieving them of many of the responsibilities that previous generations had seen was a more attractive method of parenting. But this parental attitude had some unforeseen consequences. It helped develop a sense of entitlement in children.

While conducting research for writing my book Mom, Can I Help Around the House? I conducted a survey of three hundred fifty parents. The survey yielded alarming results and proved that this attitude has not changed much since then. Merely 11% of parents I polled reported that their children’s household contributions are expected and were laid out clearly for them by parents. From this data, we can infer that allowance figures greatly into the children and household chores equation. And we also know that offering an allowance to complete chores can only increase children’s sense of entitlement.

Paying children for chores can negatively impact a child’s personal growth. If children receive money for contributing to their own household the seeds of entitlement can emerge. A sense of entitlement can send a child spiraling away from the concepts of teamwork, family dynamics and the desire to learn important life skills that will contribute to their success as adults if a reward is not attached. Moreover, if frustrated parents stop expecting them to do chores, but continue to give an allowance, while they take care of all the household chores themselves, children may perceive the continued allowance as a reward for refusing to do the chores!

As a parent, it’s important to teach children that household chores are not an extra way to make money, but rather, a way in which to condition themselves into self-sufficient people capable of caring for themselves and aiding in the care of others. By proactively reminding children that their contributions are necessary, expected and appreciated, children will develop a sense of belonging to something larger than themselves, become confident and secure in themselves, their environment, their place in the home and in society. Think of it this way: if parents let “kids just be kids” and protect them in their early years from learning how to take care of themselves and a home, their sense of entitlement can accompany them way past their eighteenth birthday.

Instead of practicing a monetary reward system with household chores, parents should instead opt for teaching children the non-monetary value of chores and emphasize the worth of the skills learned from them. If parents place value on chore completion early in a child’s life, the child is likely to find value in them as well. Because chores are often a group effort, children can celebrate being trusted with important housekeeping jobs and build self-esteem by knowing that their contributions are not only appreciated, but necessary to a functional household. With this type of instruction, children become true apprentices of their parents- little people learning big lessons about life. Their internal belief systems shift to parallel the reality of the real world- a place in which hard work can result in real-life successes, a positive self-concept, service to others, and a healthy environment.

Originally posted 2008-09-07 08:59:51. Republished by Old Post Promoter

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