Does your teen have a lagging attitude and is too used to having things done for him? Perhaps while you clean or sort the clothes, your teenager is lying on the couch watching television or writing to his friends on his mobile. That attitude should end as soon as possible because your adolescent child lives at home, you must collaborate in its care and maintenance.
You may think that it can be difficult to know what tasks to give your teenager. It can be even more difficult to get him to actually do the tasks you tell him to do. It is important that you do them because housework teaches your children responsibility and will help them become a better person, a better citizen, and most importantly: he will learn to take care of himself.
You must remember that you are raising a teenager who will probably one day go to live independently or with someone else. It is important that you have not raised a lazy child that no one supports to live, it should be an example!
Give them tasks and motivate them to do them
Adolescents are capable of practically any task that adults can do. But, they need direction and guidance as they learn how to do housework properly. However, the orientation should not be your complaints. You need to teach yourself how to do a specific task and then monitor their work to make sure they can do it independently.
If your teen is not cleaning the bathroom hygienically, or his lawn mowing technique leaves a lot to be desired, consider this a learning moment. Teach him the proper way to do things and make your expectations clear. It's important to use housework as a way to teach your teen about adult life.
To motivate him, you can give him a small weekly allowance for doing other extraordinary activities at home in addition to those that he already has assigned and that are his responsibility. You can also link some specific tasks to specific privileges. Make it clear to your children that hard work always leads to rewards, just like the hard work you do in the future will also have a salary at the end of the month ... but if nothing is done, nothing is achieved.
You will need to give your teen a to-do list so they know what to do. Then you can let him allow when to do it. For example, if you haven't done everything by the end of the day, or by the end of the week (depending on tasks), you will run out of money and without privileges.
You can also link a task with a specific privilege, For example, if you want to spend time with your friends that afternoon, you will first need to finish your homework and also your homework. If you finish at a safe time, you can go out for a while.
Some aspects to consider
Most teens are mature enough to do homework with little or no supervision. But, every teenager is different, so you will need to carefully consider your child's ability level before creating the list of tasks appropriate to his abilities.
Household chemicals, for example, can be a hazard. Talk to your teen about the importance of not combining chemicals and discuss ventilation issues. What's more, You can talk about what to do if your teen accidentally spills a chemical on his or her body.
Before allowing your child to use the stove, lawnmower, mixer, power tools, or other appliances, check for potential safety issues. Supervise your teenager at first before allowing them to use these items on their own, and make sure they practice the necessary safety precautions. Your teenager needs to understand that they don't have to. Use frayed cords when plugging in any appliance. Also you'll have to talk to your kids about cable safety issues, like never using a cable if it gets wet ...
Tasks that teach teens to take care of their belongings
Teach your child to keep his personal space neat and clean. This may involve cleaning your bedroom and keeping your things organized when they are in common areas of the house. These tasks should be things that help your child recognize the importance of taking care of his own and that of others. Here are some tasks that all teens should do:
- Bed
- Put away your clothes
- Change the sheets
- Have the closet well organized
- Have the bedroom clean of dust, swept and mopped
- Always have the bedroom well tidy
Tasks that teach responsibility
While all chores instill responsibility, creating a to-do list that includes caring for other people, pets, or plants gives your teen a chance to be responsible. These types of tasks show that you trust him and that you expect him to do a good job because there is someone or something that depends on it.. Consider including some of these items on your teen's to-do list:
- Take care of plants
- Feed the pets
- Take the dog out
- Change the sandbox of the fato
- Wash the pet
- Caring for your younger siblings
- Make lunch for your siblings
- Prepare snack for grandparents
Tasks that help teens be good citizens
Give your teenager a variety of tasks. You may consider siblings switching duties from month to month or week to week to make sure everyone has practice on each task. Include some of these tasks that involve caring for common areas in the home because they will teach your teen to be a good citizen:
- Clean dust and floors in the living room, hallways, stairs, bedrooms, etc.
- Sort all rooms
- Vacuum the furniture
- Cleaning the bathrooms
- Vacuum the carpets
- Take out the trash
- Cook dinner with instructions
- Clean kitchen counters
- Do laundry
- Empty the dishwasher or wash the dishes
- Clean windows
- Clean fridge inside and out
- Organize pantry food
- Disinfect surfaces
- Tidy up the garage
- Organize the shelves
Do you already know what your teenager can do today?