When that remake of Cheaper by the Dozen came out, we rented the DVD and when the TV crew is coming, the mom tells the kids to clean the house, girls clean the house and the boys do the yard work. And that got me to thinking...when my brother and I were kids we both did about the same chores, but as we got older, it got different, he never had to do the laundry or vacuum except for his own room, he took out the trash and I usually cleaned out the can and put in the new bag, we each had different things to do to clean the bathroom, etc.


What do you think? Should boys and girls be brought up to do different chores or should they each have to do the same kind of work?

I say make all of them learn the same things because if one gets sick or isn't home at the time, is that part of the work just not going to get done? Not in my home when/if I have kids, the boys will learn how to do the laundry and the girls will know to take out the trash and mow the lawn.

I agree that both should learn the same chores, but I also don't have a problem if they have different chores either. To each their own, IMO.

I would make them all the same, and only seperate according to age. And also, possibly what the children would be better at. For instance, I don't know what age my son will have enough attention to detail to wash the dishes. I certainly won't eat from unproperly washed things! So, if I had a daughter close to his age, then maybe she would have that as a chore sooner than he would.

I wouldn't force my girls to more meticulous yard work, like edging the lawn or pruning branches. Also maybe moving heavy objects. Beyond things like that, I can't think of much I would have my son do that I wouldn't expect of my girls too. They can all cut the grass, wash dishes, vacuum, clean, and so on and so forth.

Impact wrote:

I wouldn't force my girls to more meticulous yard work, like edging the lawn or pruning branches. Also maybe moving heavy objects. Beyond things like that, I can't think of much I would have my son do that I wouldn't expect of my girls too. They can all cut the grass, wash dishes, vacuum, clean, and so on and so forth.

I pretty much agree. When it comes to things like lifting and hauling, I would favor my son (if I had one) for things of that nature. Otherwise, everything else pretty much can be evenly split.

That's split in our house too, I was a weight lifter as a kid, which came in handy because I was usually called on to lift up the couch when something was under it. And since we got a garden and fruit trees, a good crop can mean 10 gallon buckets overflowing with heavy produce that needs to be hauled around.

I honestly don't care who does what, so long as it gets done.

Chris wrote:

I pretty much agree. When it comes to things like lifting and hauling, I would favor my son (if I had one) for things of that nature. Otherwise, everything else pretty much can be evenly split.

ITA with this! The truth is, when it came to splitting wood and carrying it in, my brother was a lot better and faster because he was stronger. I helped out, but he could do a lot more than I could.

I think it's important for children to learn different skills, though, and will pretty much split chores evening when it comes to my kids, unless it has to do with heavy lifting.

My brother is the better cook by far. He can make something out of nothing, whereas I prefer following recipes. when it comes to baking, though... well - he doesn't do a lot of it.

One year in res. I had a roommate who had never cooked in his life. This one day I was watching TV and he came up and asked me for help, because he couldn't understand the directions. I stood up and he hands me a box of hamburger helped. I thought he was joking. My other roommie was trying to hide her smirking. I read out the directions and he still didn't understand. Found out later from our fourth room, who's roomed with him the year before, that Jag had never cooked a day in his life before moving into res.

I think it's important for all kids to know the basics of cooking. They don't have to be gourmet chefs, but they should know enough to survive on their own and provide for themselves.