One Photo: Chores, Kids, & Happiness

COMBATING INVISIBLE WORK.

Lately, I’ve been struggling with our distribution of housework and getting my people to take responsibility. While this is a neverending process for parents, I’m POSITIVE Shelter In Place has aggravated our situation. Since the day we got word of school closures back in March, I’ve been stuck in The Accidental Martyr role desperately seeking ways to get out.

This is why this photo taken a few years ago keeps bubbling up in my brain.

I’ve been photographing this family for several years and have been blessed with parenting conversations that enlighten and challenge me. On the day I took this picture, their mom shared how she’s been teaching her kids to do their own laundry since they were little.

Most Saturday mornings you’ll find these two in their rooms folding and putting away their clothes. It’s a non-negotiable their mom set up when they were toddlers. She started small requiring them to fold and put away just one thing, and as they grew so did their responsibilities.I can’t let this conversation go. It echos in the background every time I fight with my tween about helping out or simply picking up after himself without an argument.

Flashing back ten years, I thought my kids were too young for simple tasks. Now I see that they weren’t too young, I was too tired to keep pushing until their chores became habits. Instead, the habit I helped create is to NOT do the work. Which, as it turns out, is a difficult habit to break.

Today, the above picture is my theme photo. It reminds me to keep on my path no matter the push back. To keep moving forward today so that next year is easier. From work to parenting, to household chores, we need to think about long-term gains rather than short-term returns.

Here’s to surviving the fall and distance learning!

P.S. If you need more support for how to or why to help your kids do work around the house, check out this interesting article on chores and children.

👉 Also, Atomic Habits is my bible. 🔥