OK I am wondering what chores you give your children around the house to do and if they get pocket money for them? My children absolutely swear I am a mean mum because I get them to tidy rooms and pick up a vacuum cleaner so I would love to show them what other households actually do with the chores so they can see I actually don't expect much
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My almost 5yo and 13yo boys clean their room, wipe down "their" (its not really theirs, its just the one that they use lol) bathroom and toilet, help wipe/clean kitchen. The 13 will also sweep/vacuum the floor and mop his room. They also load and unload the dishwasher and put away clothes etc. And no, they most definitely do NOT get paid. They have the privilege of living in their own home, warm, safe and never want of anything. I told them that I'm not a maid/cleaner and we all work together to clean the house. For us, its really important that everyone helps out. We are a family and help each other out.
No pay for household duties in this house. Participating in chores it means you are lucky enough to have a roof over your head and a family.
In my house my son does as much as he can for his age. So he is responsible for cleaning up after himself. So if you use a towel, you hang it up, if you dirty clothes they go in the basket, you get a toy out you pack it away etc.
But beyond that from 4years old set the table, and unpack the dishwasher, make his own bed, put own toys away etc.
from 6, put own plates in dishwasher, feed pets, wipe down walls
From 7 hang washes clothes on airer, vacuum room.
From 10 was putting his own full basket of clothes in the machine, hanging out clothes, bring in clothes when dry and put away.
From around 12 cooking a simple meal once a week. Wipe over bathroom sink etc.
from 14 clean one full room (other than bedroom) once a fortnight (dust vacuum etc).
Housework is about learning to be an adult. I'm not a slave and we have plenty of time to do fun things etc.
Exactly the same in my house. My kids are expected to keep their rooms clean (it's rarely to my standards but it is done lol), they have to pick up after themselves, they help me cook sometimes and they actually fight over who's turn it is to do the dishes lol. My kids often complain that other kids get pocket money for cleaning their rooms, I just say "that's up to their parents but in our house we all contribute to keeping our house clean".
I think I did more growing up than I expected my son to do. I know my mum did far more housework as a child than was expected of me.
It's my job to teach my son how to be a fully functioning member of society.
From the age of 8 he has been vacuuming the house, washing dishes on weekends and drying on weeknights (every night on school holidays), doing all of his own washing, helping me hang it out, helping me bring it in (once he could reach the line he hangs out and brings in his own washing) and putting his clothes away, keeping his room clean - not necessarily tidy all of the time but clean, keeping the vanity clean and tidy (I do the shower), picking up his wet towel and hanging it up, cleaning up after himself - so if he's made a sandwich he wipes down the bench for example, brings in groceries and helps put them away, keeps the tv and cabinet dust free, cleans the loo if he poos in it (you shit you scrub), watering the front garden once a week, helps dad mow/rake the lawn and helps out when spring cleaning rolls around. He will mop if I'm flat out at work and can't get to it. Dinner once a week for everyone and he cooks for himself only once a week too, now it's every night cooking what he wants. None of this is paid work. What he did get paid for was "extra" chores, washing cars, feeding animals etc.
My 5 year old helps pick up his toys, sometimes helps with dinner, vacuums and steam mops.
He has kindergarten homework which is about an hour per day and he plays outside for about an hour so I do most of it. He doesn't get pocket money so to speak but he gets all coins around the house (his father and I don't use coins) and he gets $10 per week into a bank account.
I understand they need to have responsibility but I also believe they need to be children and not spend all of their free time doing household chores.