Experts Say Kids Who Are Used to Doing Chores Become More Successful

According to Julie Lythcott-Haims, the author of How to Raise an Adult,chores help a person develop a certain attitude which can lead to them taking charge when there’s help needed.

This quality will be useful in group projects at school, displaying teamwork with colleagues, as well as having a generally good attitude when doing work. Those who’ve learned to take the initiative since childhood are more likely to be leaders.

When a kid sees that his/her actions lead to a certain outcome and realizes this “act-effect” connection, it opens a door to a whole network of other activities like thinking, coping, planning, deciding, trying, failing and succeeding. It gives the kid more space to experience life in general. And doing chores gives them more control over another (very significant) area of their life.

Chores are a big part of everyday life which is impossible to avoid. And shielding your child from household duties and building a dependent pattern of behavior does more damage in the end.

We should not put too much emphasis on our kids’ good grades and thick resumes, but rather on forming a certain set of habits, skills, and a mindset in general — this will help them way more in life than good grades ever will.

Lythcott-Haims says that by asking kids to help with washing the dishes, taking out the garbage, and doing laundry, we help them to come to the realization: “I have to do the work of life in order to be part of life.” And that it’s not just about “me” and “my needs” at the moment, but rather, it’s seeing the whole picture.

When we intentionally isolate children from chores, we don’t allow them to develop certain skills needed not only in school or at work, but in life in general, otherwise known as work ethic. This experience will give your child a positive feeling of being productive.