The Kids Have Chores. Why Am I So Tired?

Demetria Gallegos:

I fired my children. It was a cold Saturday in December, when I told them they no longer had jobs and should leave the house. I didn't care where they went, as long as they got out of my hair for three hours so I could do their chores without bitterness.

Our detailed checklist-based system, with jobs paying from 50 cents to $3, was a failure. Every weekend I'd nag my four girls--ages 10 to 15--for a day or so to start. The girls would bicker throughout, as one tried to sweep before another had gotten around to dealing with rugs. Every time I'd turn around, another girl would have wandered off before finishing, distracted by a book or the iPad. Then they'd fail inspection.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at June 13, 2012 2:26 AM
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