If you want your child to be successful, stop cleaning their room!
They won’t like it. They’ll pout. They’ll negotiate, and maybe even boycott.
But, rest assured…
They’ll pick up the pace when they realize how quickly last week’s glass of milk turns on them when mom isn’t there to clean it up.
Point blank: Kids who do chores live happier and more successful lives.
This, according to the findings of a 75 year Harvard study that identified two things that people need in order to be happy and successful:
- LOVE
- WORK ETHIC
The first, love, is largely an innate skill and widely accepted as a cornerstone in molding a person from infancy to adulthood. But, how do we instill a solid work ethic in our children?
According to the 7.5-decade study of 724 high-achievers (including future President Kennedy), chores are the answer.
In her 20XX TED talk, “How To Raise An Adult” author Julie Lythcott-Haims said that the study found that professional success in life comes from having done chores as a kid.
“The earlier you started, the better,” Lythcott-Haims continued. “[A] roll-up-your-sleeves- and-pitch-in mindset, a mindset that says, there’s some unpleasant work, someone’s got to do it, it might as well be me … that that’s what gets you ahead in the workplace.”
Often times the challenge for parents isn’t assigning the chores, it’s the aftermath of arguing ‘til they get done, then having to redo them because the job isn’t up to par with what we would’ve done.
Sometimes, even if you could do a job perfectly, you have to let someone else do it just-barely-passably, if you want the other person learn from the experience. It’s the same principle whether we’re talking about U.S. soldiers training the Iraqi Army, or parents letting their kids empty the dishwasher.
In closing, Lythcott-Haims explains, “by making them do chores — taking out the garbage, doing their own laundry — they realize I have to do the work of life in order to be part of life. It’s not just about me and what I need in this moment.”
Parenting Hack: having your child perform consistent small chores at an early age will set their expectations appropriately as to what’s expected as they grow.
While implementing chores later is more challenging, it’s certainly not impossible. You might be in for an argument, and you may have to supervise or take away privileges, but think about this:
We all had moments in our adolescence that contributed to molding the person we are today. Whether it came in the form of hurtful words from a coach, the wrath of being caught cheating on a math test, or arguing with our parents over chores. It’s rarely the good memories that make us well-rounded, successful people.
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