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son is now serving his country as a Sailor in the United States Navy. He is responsible and accountable for his action. He led his A-School class and is often in charge of shore patrols. I believe his lifetime of chores and hard work is helping him in his chosen career.

I am a stay-at-home mom and tell my thirteen-year-old son that even though my work is inside the home, that doesn't mean I do everything. He had to clean the bathroom yesterday, a job he disdains, but knew I wouldn't listen to a bunch of whining about it. Chores are building character and responsibility in him. His youngest sisters, ages four and six, have chores that include picking up their toys, bringing their laundry downstairs, putting their clothes away, and helping to set the table. Each of them is better at one than the other, like the four-year-old loves dishes and the six-year-old is better at organizing the books, but each of them can contribute.

We live in a society that somehow has moved away from core values like hard work. We have produced generations of kids who don't want to study or do anything that doesn't involve a computer game. Their parents, products of moms who worked during the 70s and 80s, and probably had chores, somehow believed they were being good parents if they gave their children everything. The result has been a generation of young people who are often lazy, self-indulgent, materialistic, and self-centered. I believe in old-school values like homework before play, chores, respect, yes-ma'am, yes sir, and not calling adults by their first name. My son knows that when he does go outside to play, he must be in before the street-lights and I don't want to hear about what Johnny gets to do. I hold onto the belief that the values he learns by doing dishes, even if I do a better job and could do it faster myself, far outweigh any intrusion in his childhood play.

In the end, chores teach children that it is not about them. It teaches them that they are social citizens in their home and in society. It teaches cooperation. It teaches responsibility. It teaches teamwork. It prepares them to think beyond themselves. It teaches diligence. It teaches pride in a job well-done. It prepares them for the future. It teaches them life.

Learn more about this author, Taye Foster Bradshaw.
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