Kids And ChoresSample

Alaysha sat on the floor in her room, playing with the toys she was supposed to be putting away. Her mother appeared in the doorway.

“I asked you to clean this up,” her mother exclaimed. “Why is there still stuff everywhere?”

With great drama, Alaysha threw her body onto the floor. “It’s too much! I can’t do it myself! You need to help me!”

“I’m making dinner,” her mother replied, in an exasperated tone of voice.

“Then you should pay me for cleaning this all by myself,” Alaysha said. “What will you pay me?”

Her mother’s eyes narrowed. After a long pause, she looked at Alaysha and replied, “Dinner.”

In your house, do you feel like a hired helper? Do you begrudge the people in your family for not rewarding you for your work?

You’re right that work entitles you to a reward. Proverbs 14:23 says that all hard work brings a profit. But work in your home isn’t a zero-sum game where you profit at someone else’s expense. Each person’s work benefits everyone else in the family. And everyone else’s work benefits you. For that reason, you don’t get paid to do chores. You wouldn’t want someone to pay you to clean your room if it meant you had to pay someone else to make dinner!

In the Bible, the leaders who traveled around teaching about Jesus made sure they always did their share of work, instead of letting other people serve them. They encouraged others to do the same thing. Do your part without making a big deal about it. You can trust that you will get everything you need in return.

Try this: Parents and kids, think of one chore you do and one non-financial reward you get from doing it. A reward could be a clean place to relax, or a nice meal, or the pride of doing a job well, or the relief that nobody will ask you to do that chore again today.

Prayer: Thank you God for everything that comes from you, both the things I earn and the gifts you give freely. Amen.

More: Do the task before being asked to avoid being compared with cheese.