When do you let kids take over certain responsibilities

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Personal preference. Yes, kids should know how to do laundry, cook, pack a lunch, etc. But that doesn’t mean they must do it everyday.
Also, what kind of stuff are they packing from a bin that constitutes a complete, healthy meal? They would still need to make themselves sandwiches, or heat up leftovers for thermoses, cut up fruit, etc, which might be a lot for a 6 yo.

Yeah what is this “picking items from a bin”? What are they packing: granola bars and applesauce pouches? Doesn’t seem like a very healthy or nutritious meal can be made from prepackaged bin items. I make my kids sandwiches and cut up fruits and vegetables for them. They are 2nd grade and k. Could they do it themselves? Yes, of course. But it would take 2x as long and I prefer our time in the mornings before school be more relaxing and less rushed/stressful for them.

Have you never heard of carrot sticks celery sticks and apple slices that are precut? Cutie oranges? Yogurt cups?
An 8 year old can certainly make a sandwich given the materials and can spoon leftover pasta sauce and noddles into a container. A 6 year old might need more guidance but is capable

Precut fruits and vegetables don’t taste good. Cutie oranges and yogurts- fine I’ll give you those. And of course they can make their own sandwiches and my 8 year old frequently does make his own sandwiches for lunch on weekends. It’s just not something I feel is important to have them spend time on on school mornings/weekdays.

We got my daughter a plastic cutting knife she can cut up her own carrots and apples. She can use a knife under my supervision. She packs her lunch at night while we're cleaning up from dinner

[Anonymous]

Having backpacks ready the night before, sure.

Packing a lunch, well I was a 1st grader back in 1973 and I wasn't making my own lunch (nor did my kids at that age). How about compromising with DH by having the kids help you make their lunches. They can pull the juice/milk box out the fridge and put it in their lunch bag, they can choose a fruit, you make the sandwich and wrap it, they put in in their lunch bag. They can add a napkin, etc.

[Anonymous]

NP.

Like several other PPs, I grew up in a house where I didn't have to do chores that involved cleaning, laundry, making my school lunches, etc. My "job" was to do well in school and ECs (so I did have to pack my own backpack, sports bags, etc.) And like those PPs, when I got to college, I had zero problem cleaning, simple cooking, organizing, and doing laundry because those things are just really easy to "figure out" and do! And if anyone were actually stumped nowadays, they could just watch a 30-second Youtube video on X, Y, Z task and be all set.

I don't give my kids household chores. I think there are better things they can be doing with their time.

The key is that you raise your kids in a home that is clean and organized so they become accustomed to that standard and appreciate/expect it, such that they will WANT to replicate it in their own homes and will put in the effort to do so. The execution, again, is easy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Personal preference. Yes, kids should know how to do laundry, cook, pack a lunch, etc. But that doesn’t mean they must do it everyday.
Also, what kind of stuff are they packing from a bin that constitutes a complete, healthy meal? They would still need to make themselves sandwiches, or heat up leftovers for thermoses, cut up fruit, etc, which might be a lot for a 6 yo.

Yeah what is this “picking items from a bin”? What are they packing: granola bars and applesauce pouches? Doesn’t seem like a very healthy or nutritious meal can be made from prepackaged bin items. I make my kids sandwiches and cut up fruits and vegetables for them. They are 2nd grade and k. Could they do it themselves? Yes, of course. But it would take 2x as long and I prefer our time in the mornings before school be more relaxing and less rushed/stressful for them.

Have you never heard of carrot sticks celery sticks and apple slices that are precut? Cutie oranges? Yogurt cups?
An 8 year old can certainly make a sandwich given the materials and can spoon leftover pasta sauce and noddles into a container. A 6 year old might need more guidance but is capable

Precut fruits and vegetables don’t taste good. Cutie oranges and yogurts- fine I’ll give you those. And of course they can make their own sandwiches and my 8 year old frequently does make his own sandwiches for lunch on weekends. It’s just not something I feel is important to have them spend time on on school mornings/weekdays.

We got my daughter a plastic cutting knife she can cut up her own carrots and apples. She can use a knife under my supervision. She packs her lunch at night while we're cleaning up from dinner

The plastic knife for carrots and apples sounds more dangerous than an actual knife.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DCUM always responds in that silly way (see above). Yet it makes no difference at all when they're older, because chores are by definition not hard to learn or implement. I never lifted a finger in the house as a child, yet was perfectly able to cook, clean and organize my home when I move out. My kids started helping out in middle school, but only sporadically, and they will be perfectly responsible young adults when they leave my house. Because they're not stupid.

This isn't rocket science. You don't need to force yourself to teach them when they're young if it complicates your life. If you enjoy it, sure, go ahead, but please remind yourself that you're not a better parent or more enlightened human just because you started your kids young on chores. That would be patting yourself on the back for no reason at all.

Love this!!! You’re like a breath of fresh air on this thread. Sad this is the exception these days and not the norm of parenting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Personal preference. Yes, kids should know how to do laundry, cook, pack a lunch, etc. But that doesn’t mean they must do it everyday.
Also, what kind of stuff are they packing from a bin that constitutes a complete, healthy meal? They would still need to make themselves sandwiches, or heat up leftovers for thermoses, cut up fruit, etc, which might be a lot for a 6 yo.

I do a bin for each child in the fridge and pantry. Kids can rinse and put berries in a Rubbermaid container. They put baby carrots, celery sticks and other prepped veg, cheese cubes, lunchmeat, or other things pre-prepped straight in containers. They can put whole fruit, yogurt, cheese sticks, hummus cups, babybel, etc into the lunchbox without even a container. In the pantry, we have coconut water, peanut butter cups, applesauce, fruit cups, jerky for occasional snacks, etc. They can choose to make a sandwich… but they don’t. They can choose to put crackers, bread, tortillas, etc in their lunches… but they don’t. I do make air popped popcorn, homemade potato and veg chips, and homemade crackers, and they’ll sometimes fill a box from the snack keepers. As long as they take at least one veg, fruit, and protein? They can take whatever they want.

Kids have definite ideas about what they want by 5, so they start packing in kinder. They have choices for snack and lunch, but dinner is set.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Personal preference. Yes, kids should know how to do laundry, cook, pack a lunch, etc. But that doesn’t mean they must do it everyday.
Also, what kind of stuff are they packing from a bin that constitutes a complete, healthy meal? They would still need to make themselves sandwiches, or heat up leftovers for thermoses, cut up fruit, etc, which might be a lot for a 6 yo.

Yeah what is this “picking items from a bin”? What are they packing: granola bars and applesauce pouches? Doesn’t seem like a very healthy or nutritious meal can be made from prepackaged bin items. I make my kids sandwiches and cut up fruits and vegetables for them. They are 2nd grade and k. Could they do it themselves? Yes, of course. But it would take 2x as long and I prefer our time in the mornings before school be more relaxing and less rushed/stressful for them.

Have you never heard of carrot sticks celery sticks and apple slices that are precut? Cutie oranges? Yogurt cups?
An 8 year old can certainly make a sandwich given the materials and can spoon leftover pasta sauce and noddles into a container. A 6 year old might need more guidance but is capable

Precut fruits and vegetables don’t taste good. Cutie oranges and yogurts- fine I’ll give you those. And of course they can make their own sandwiches and my 8 year old frequently does make his own sandwiches for lunch on weekends. It’s just not something I feel is important to have them spend time on on school mornings/weekdays.

I prep veg every night, including enough for kids to pack for next day’s lunch, then I finish the rest. Why would they taste off?