8 Tips For Conquering Chores

Be persistent

Day after day, week after week, month after month. Just keep plugging away at it. Some weeks will go great, others will be horrendous. Keep working at it. It will get better and easier. But it will never be perfect.

I always crack up when one of my kids says, “You didn’t tell me I had to do chores before I could leave!!!” with all the indignant attitude they can muster. And I chuckle. “How long have you lived in this house? You’ve been doing chores for over 14 years and now it’s a big surprise to you? That’s so tragically sad!” I’m not buying it. But they keep trying — they are persistent, I’ll give them that!

There comes an incredible day in all of this when you get payback. A weekend will hit and they will all go do their chores well without a hitch. And you sit back, stunned, and asked, “Were all the planets aligned or something??” Or you realize that you’ve been swamped for a week and that the whole house kept humming along without you. And you’re rather surprised by how it all flowed.

Or your child goes off to college or work and writes one of those much longed-for and anticipated letters, “Dear Mom and Dad. I just want to say thank you for all the things you taught me. Thank you for everything you did for me that I didn’t appreciate. You did a great job training me.” Man, you frame those!

And you’ll realize – it worked!! And it was worth it.

MerrileeBoyack.com