Instilling Initiative Into Our Children
Getting kids to do their chores, or any work for that matter can often be a pain. We as their parents desire to see them want to help, want to learn, want to grow in maturity, selflessness and grace. We want them to take initiative and be intuitive. We want them to develop good habits. We want to raise willful children into caring, competent adults. So when they're little, we give them chore lists according to their ages and abilities. The list clearly states WHAT the chore is and WHEN the chore should be done. They look at them, understand what's expected and everything is rosy. When they are little, moms tend to remind them when it's time to do a chore. Even though this works, it's bad training. Why? Because the power of a law is only as strong as the penalty of the law . (Keep repeating that until it sinks in!) If you give your child a list of chores with no deadlines or penalties, where is their motivation to remember to get their rear in gear? It's