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When children do household chores, they learn responsibility and accountability. Parents should, however, ensure chores they assign their children are age appropriate, well thought out, and discussed with each child.

When children have chores, they learn there are no free rides in life. They learn what is meant by living up to expectation. When parents hold their children accountable for certain household chores, they teach them to be reliable and independent. When they stress the importance of timely completion of chores, or to finish them on schedule, they are teaching them constancy and trustworthiness.

If there are chores children do not care to perform, parents can take this opportunity to teach them how to negotiate by discussing alternatives chores. These are lessons that will serve them well when they become adults.

If children are assigned chores they do not understand how to execute, parents should take the time to teach them the correct way to do them. If children know they are expected to do a good job, they will take more pride in what they are doing. Parents should never miss an opportunity to praise them for a job well done.

When children are not expected to share in household tasks, chances are they will grow up to be dependent, expecting others to do menial tasks for them. They will, unfortunately, grow up to be irresponsible, inattentive, and remiss in taking care of their personal needs. When responsibility and accountability are not taught at home, where will children learn these laudable virtues? Parents should never allow their children to "laze" around the house doing nothing. There's a lot of truth in the adage, "an idle mind is the devil's workshop."

Parents equip their children for the realities of life when they hold them accountable. Those children who had responsibilities and expectations usually grow up to become managers and supervisors or run companies.

Many will be self-starters and will start their own companies as many will have learned to appreciate hard work has its own reward. These will be the ones who will always find their way out of bad situations, because they learned early how to be independent and self-reliant.

Parents should ensure that the structure of their homes are a microcosm of the world at large. If children are taught responsibility and accountability early on, these attributes will carry over to school, to home work, and to any job they perform as adults. Any company that hires these responsible adults will thank the responsible parents who reared them.

Learn more about this author, Dossie M Terrell.
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