Is it unreasonable to ask a 12yr old to dust the furniture and vacuum every Saturday?

Answer 1

Not at all.

Answer 2

It's not unreasonable to ask an 8 year old to do this!

Kids need to be involved with chores as soon as they can follow instructions. A 3 year old can sort forks & spoons and put them away, or match the lids on plastic containers, or be given a damp cloth to wipe the table.

Little kids don't have to do things perfectly -- you'll probably have to go behind them and set things right -- but they do need to know that everyone who doesn't wear a diaper and sleep in a crib is expected to participate in keeping the house orderly.

Answer 3

When I was 12 I remember I was doing my own laundry {unless I waited for my mom to do it} cleaning my own room, doing dishes and even able to cook dinner. So NO it not unreasonable to ask a 12 yr old or even younger then tha to dust and vacuum every saturday. They live in the home they can help keep it clean. My SD is almost 7 and I make her straighten the living room (basically pick her stuff off the floor she drags downstairs), make sure her room is straightened and nothing out of place all things in their proper place every night before bed. I even have her help me sort laundry on laundry day (sunday) and she is more then happy to help me out when I cook dinner (mixing pour and simple things)

Answer 4

I don't know what parents are teaching their kids these days. Yes, a 12 year old def. needs some responsibility around the house! When I was in kindergarden, I was doing dishes (and not in the dishwasher). By the time I was 12, I did laundry for my whole family at the laundromat. You should teach your children to do little things around the house and to also keep up with their school work. If you give them an allowance, have them complete certain chores for a certain amount. Don't spoil kids!!!

Answer 5

No way! My five year old actually does a lot of the dusting on Saturdays, and she also makes her bed and folds/puts away her laundry. My 11-year-old vacuums the stairs, washes the floor, and changes the kitty litter (in addition to cleaning her own room). She also helps her little sister get washed and dressed for school every morning. And the 16-year-old? She mows the lawn!

Answer 6

no. not at all. my kids are grown up now and have their own homes and they keep them immaculate. my daughter did the house stuff inside and my 2 boys did stuff in the yard and learned to fix things around the house. at first they complained. and i figured that kids related to money very well. so i paid them for their work. they would blow it all in one day at the mall. but they learned that if they worked for it? they could buy things they needed. another problem i had was the way they wasted water and electricity. so i figured out that after i paid them for their work. i would charge them some for tha things they overused in the house. if they left the water run while brushing their teeth? it cost a quarter. if they stood in front of the fridge with the door wide open . it cost them a quarter. everytime they played nintendo? it cost a dime. at the end of the week when i paid them? they would say "great dad, lets go to the mall" i said hold on a minute. you all have some bills to pay first. when i got done? they didnt have much to spend at the mall. and they said it wasnt fair!!! i said that i didnt tell them to play nintendo, or stand with the fridge door open , or leave the water running. if they wanted to keep their money? then watch what they do. it worked like a charm. all the chores got done and my gas, water,and electric bills all dropped by 40%. so keep them busy doing chores and watching how they use the utilities. they'll be better adults for it.

Answer 7

Not at all. If you ask me you are going easy on your pre-teen. If a child works at a young age then they are more likely to be a productive member of society when they become an adult. My sons are 6 and 8 and they are responsible for cleaning there room, feeding the dog, helping with meals, and yard and garden work and they never complain because they understand that every member of a family has obligations to the family unit and that we all have to do our part.

Answer 8

Not at all. My daughter (now 13) has been helping with vaccuuming, dusting, sweeping, dishes, organizing, and laundry since she was 8 years old. My son (8 yrs) takes out the garbage, loads the dishwasher, puts away his own laundry, puts laundry into the washer and dryer (i put the soap in) and many other chores. It's good to teach them how to do these things, and it's even better to require that they do some chores regularly. It teaches them responsibility, and respect for their home.

Answer 9

no, i do not think it is unreasonable at all, but if you are having battles with them about it i would ask them to pick a day to do it, but it has to be the same day every week. a lot of times kids dont like doing chores on the weekend and if you make them feel like they have some say in it, they will not have as much of a problem with it. it will save you the headache of trying to make them do it and at the same time it makes them feel like they have some sort of control over their lives (which means a lot to them). the trick to this is to make you happy though, so if there is a day during the week that is totally inconvenient for you exclude that day.

Answer 10

Not at all.
I think that kids need to do MINOR chores in order to learn that things don't get down without a little elbow grease on their part. That they need to earn what they get instead of merely giving it to them. I'm not talking clean the house from top to bottom, but washing their own clothes, helping with some of the cleaning. Yeah...

Its also a great way to get them to do some of the PITA stuff you don't want to do, like cleaning baseboards. Kids love making extra money. ;)

Answer 11

Absolutely not. Kids need to learn responsibility. Nobody really likes chores, but what are you gonna do? They're part of life and we all have to deal with them. Parents do everything else for their kids, the least the kids can do is pull a little weight around the house.