My oldest was complaining that he always got stuck doing the hard jobs and his brothers got the easy ones. I listened and came up with a bit of a solution. The kids are both pleased and NOT pleased. lol
This solution was also introduced because the custody was changed at the mediation. I now have my boys Monday – Thursday and my ex picks them up from school Friday and has them for the weekend. I get them every 2nd & 5th weekend of the month and if my ex gets a job (cross your fingers!) then he’ll pick them up from me when he can on Friday. Better for the kids, easier on the ex, and leaves me with more free weekends a month! Kind of a win/win in some ways.
But it also meant I wasn’t going to have them on weekends to clean the house anymore. So I devised a plan to get a little bit of it done every day I had them instead of one big day every 2 weeks. And I introduced them to the concept of gambling.
Chore Sticks
I created Chore Sticks. Coloring Popsicle sticks (been collecting them for craft possibilities for 10 years so I have MANY!) into blue ones and orange ones. I them Sharpied chores onto them. Blue Chore Sticks are for daily chores, each child picks 4 a day. Orange Chore Sticks are for weekly chores, each child picks one a day. At the end of the day Blue sticks go back into the pot for tomorrow and finished Orange sticks get set aside for next week.
At the beginning of the day they close their eyes, reach in and pick a chore. And that chore is their responsibility ALL day. If its load the dishwasher, they have to stay on that.. all day. OR they can leave it to the end of the day, but its their chore. AND if they get a chore that holds up other people, they cannot put if off, but have to do it right off so it won’t inconvenience anyone.
So now when they complain, “Awwww! Why did you give me THIS chore!”
I get to reply, “I didn’t give you that chore! Fate gave you that chore. It was only by Chance that you picked it”
Then I point out that maybe tomorrow they will get a chore that Fate makes irrelevant. For instance, Conor pulled Water the Plants today. But Fate made it rain so he didn’t have to. And if this “gardener” is too exhausted to garden & you pick the “Assist with Gardening” chore.. well, you lucked out!
So no one can accuse me of “babying” the youngest with the easier chores. But apparently his charm is extending to the cosmos. He keeps getting them!
And the one they hate the most? Mom’s General Assistant. Basically my slave for a day! Muahahahaha