Sunday, December 25, 2016

Why children need chores || Jennifer Breheny Wallace - WSJ

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NOTE: This is a great article on training children to do chores.

Today’s demands for measurable childhood success—from the Common Core to college placement—have chased household chores from the to-do lists of many young people. In a survey of 1,001 U.S. adults released last fall by Braun Research, 82% reported having regular chores growing up, but only 28% said that they require their own children to do them. With students under pressure to learn Mandarin, run the chess club or get a varsity letter, chores have fallen victim to the imperatives of resume-building—though it is hardly clear that such activities are a better use of their time.

“Parents today want their kids spending time on things that can bring them success, but ironically, we’ve stopped doing one thing that’s actually been a proven predictor of success—and that’s household chores,” says Richard Rende, a developmental psychologist in Paradise Valley, Ariz., and co-author of the forthcoming book “Raising Can-Do Kids.” Decades of studies show the benefits of chores—academically, emotionally and even professionally.

Giving children household chores at an early age helps to build a lasting sense of mastery, responsibility and self-reliance, according to research by Marty Rossmann, professor emeritus at the University of Minnesota. In 2002, Dr. Rossmann analyzed data from a longitudinal study that followed 84 children across four periods in their lives—in preschool, around ages 10 and 15, and in their mid-20s. She found that young adults who began chores at ages 3 and 4 were more likely to have good relationships with family and friends, to achieve academic and early career success and to be self-sufficient, as compared with those who didn’t have chores or who started them as teens.

Continue reading this article in the Wall Street Journal

Friday, December 9, 2016

A Simple Stay at Home Dad Morning Routine that Will Transform Your Days || GS


My wife and I decided that she take the job at Christian Broadcasting Network as an international prayer counselor. Her work hours is 12NN-8PM. So this means she will arrive home past 9PM. She might be able to sleep past 11pm and wake up past 6am.

So my problem now is how to take the lead in our morning routines for the family.

It was really good to have GS to publish in their website the article "A Simple Stay at Home Mom Morning Routine that Will Transform Your Days". Check it out.

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Creating new family routines || by Raising Children Network

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Your family might need a new daily routine for many reasons. Here some ideas to help you when you’re setting up a new daily routine.

Article Content

  1. When do you need a new daily routine?
  2. What makes a good daily routine?
  3. Thinking about a new routine
  4. Designing a new routine

When do you need a new daily routine?
If you feel your family doesn’t spend enough time having fun together, a new routine might help. You could introduce family days, game nights, reading a book together or doing regular exercise.

Routines for demanding and stressful times in the day can help. If you have too much to do and not enough time – like when you’re getting the family ready for school and work, or preparing the family meal – a routine can really save the day.

You might think about a new daily routine when something is regularly causing conflict in the family. Routines can be particularly good at stopping fights between children.

If you find yourself constantly having to ask or nag children, this might be a sign that you need a new daily routine. Routines are particularly useful when you’re trying to help family members develop new habits, like good hygiene. Routines can also help with completing chores, practising an instrument or doing homework. It might mean setting some new rules, such as no TV at breakfast time.

As your children grow and develop, you might want to revise your routines to take into account all the new things they can do. Routines should help your children become more independent.

If there are times you can pretty much guarantee your child will misbehave, a routine can help you plan ahead and take some of the stress out of challenging or tricky situations like going shopping, driving in the car or visiting.