Chores for teenagers

So, having four daughters, trust me when I say the chores struggle is real! The messy rooms, the dishes that they think they can just set in the kitchen and the eye roll when you ask them about it... I have certainly been there. One thing I can say is that when it comes to chores, you have to revisit new strategies regularly. I have tried so many different methods of getting my girls to do chores and just like most things the first week goes well, the second week... well not so well and it continues to trail off from there. I think the biggest thing is just continuing new strategies and making it known what your expectations are.

When the girls were little, chores were given in a visual fashion. The little cards that had pictures on them so they knew what they were supposed to do. The rewards for doing these chores varied from treats and toys, or a trip to the dollar store. Well now we are way beyond that at this point.

With teenagers I have found that when I ask them to do some thing in that moment, I get pushed back. So here’s a new strategy. Laying out the entire week of what is expected. No surprises, no last minute "by the way can you help me…" The week is spelled out in advance, so therefore they can plan around it with what the expectation is.

Here is what our daily sheet looks like:

This list was texted on Sunday night to my girls so that they are aware what they need to do right there from their phone. I have the back up in the office just in case the photo is somehow deleted. Now this is certainly light, however, these are just adding a few extras during our sports season as well as the school year. Regular daily chores do not need to be added to this.

If you eat, can you put your plate in the dishwasher. You exit a car you take out everything you brought with you. Those type of daily what some might call. Chores are just expectation. For these weekly sheets you will see on Thursday is the big day.

Room check. So what does that include? Well here you go.

• All clothes from clean, laundry hamper put away.

• All surfaces in room cleaned off

• Mirrors clean

• Bathrooms cleaned.

• Trash emptied

• Toilet paper restocked

So why have we chosen to do Thursday as the room check you might ask? Well as with teenagers Fridays and Saturdays are their social days. They don’t want to be stuck at home doing chores. If they can get them done in advance for us I would prefer them have their rooms cleaned going into the weekend so that we can enjoy ourselves and not be stuck at home arguing about cleaning rooms

So there you go a new method for teenage chores. If they are not done, phones are turned off and car keys are confiscated. I think that giving a pre-warning to what is expected and what the consequences will be is certainly a much easier way to lay it out then arguing to have something done right in the moment.

Trust me with the arguing I have certainly been there, and I have certainly done that.

Xo,

Mama