When parenting our kids, we go to the moon and back in inculcating habits that boost their personality development. Yet, we reflect little on letting them do the household chores alone or with us from an early age.
We keep serving them things on a platter out of our overprotective nature. Seems trivial but inculcating this habit of letting them do the chores by themselves tremendously grooms their personality making them more confident and able to organise and make decisions.
As per various anthropology studies published in the Research Gate, including the Ethnographic research as early as Mead’s (1928) study of Samoan culture demonstrate that “children’s responsibilities and household task allocation reflect the social organisation of family groups and the strong relation between kinship and obligation."
Cross-cultural studies have found that when children are relied on for performing tasks that contribute to their families’ survival, they tend to show less antisocial behaviour and act more responsibly than children in cultures who do not take on such work.
Similarly, Weisner (2001) stresses the significance of children contributing to the family for their own successful development, pointing out the importance of understanding what children do as well as their willingness or resistance to participate in household work.
Performing chores can range from sorting and doing the laundry, folding the finished laundry, cleaning up the table and doing the dishes after meals. This also means helping in cleaning and mopping the floor, setting up the dining table, cooking or baking simple recipes, decluttering and tidying up the living spaces, mowing the lawn. Also chores may be helping in buying grocery, taking care of rest of family members with simple stuff like serving a glass of water when anyone returns home after work or errands.
Depending on their age and capabilities, they can be assigned the level and degree of performing chores. Not only it inculcates a sense of responsibility but enriches their learning at the grassroots level. Moreover, it develops empathy and humility towards their family and other humans.
When they do the laundry, they learn the value of preserving and taking care of their apparel. Purchasing groceries gives an insight into the ‘why’ and ‘how much’ of purchasing and eventually learning to manage the basic finances. Moreover, it makes them a conscious buyer in the future. Likewise, trying out new recipes unleashes their creativity and experimentation skills. Not just they learn to cook by themselves but realising that cooking for family isn’t a burden but a token of love and an opportunity to serve. Meanwhile reflecting on what goes on in the process of cooking when it is carried out by their moms and usually taken for granted by them.
Fireless cooking or helping you with the cooking could enrich their learning experiences.
Further, the cleaning tasks let them learn to clear up their own mess after they are done. They are accountable for the day-to-day entropy in life and how to rectify it on a regular basis without becoming dependent or blaming gaming. Not to mention, it develops a sense of basic hygiene and not becoming okay with living in dirty settings and untidy living and workspaces.
These are just a few chores to address, and how profoundly and intricately they impact and help build the strong personalities of our kids. Parenting is simple and innate; we complicate and keep searching for it in complex things. The art of being responsible and inculcating integrity is the best legacy we can pass on to our future generations. The easiest part, these principal life skills begin at home in simpler stuff!
The writer is a Salalah-based general physician, content creator
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