There are so many things that you can do that can teach your children how to work together as a family, one of these is working responsibly within your respective roles.
As a parent, it is your responsibility to make sure that your children know how to take care of themselves. We live in a world where even children must be taught about the realities of life. Whatever age your child may be, you should see to it that they learn to do their part in contributing to the family.
An important Bible verse admonishes, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).
What does this mean?
This important principle means that if we properly teach our children about life and the reality of responsibility, we can eventually let them out in the world knowing that we have taught them well.
They say that everything starts at home and teaching a proper work ethic and discipline should be a major part of a child’s upbringing.
What do you mean by work?
By working as a family, we mean that you can work together in doing chores including cleaning, cooking, laundry, maintenance, gardening, and automobile care. These can be assigned and rotated among the children with the parents helping each child to show them how to do their work properly and in a timely fashion.
The Bible says, “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate” (Psalm 127:3–5).
Teaching your children about the value of work will bode well in their future endeavors as well as their commitment to biblical counsel.
But, what are some important factors when teaching children? Here are some things that will help.
Define roles, but not gender roles
When you define roles, you should rely on your family members’ skills and strengths. Do not always assign certain tasks by gender. Both genders should learn to do a variety of chores to gain important skills.
For example, you can assign mowing the lawn to your daughter who may be older and stronger than a younger males sibling. On the other hand, you can assign your son to help you with gardening if he has a green thumb.
Talk to them about their skills and explain why it is okay that they cannot do the same tasks as their siblings or that they will be able to do other tasks as they get older.
Mix it up
The roles and tasks should be mixed and rotated so nobody gets the same assignment and the difficulty will be spread out and experienced by everyone. Certain tasks can be shared by everyone working together such as raking up leaves, washing a car, or preparing a meal.
When you let your children experience what the others are doing, they can easily see the full picture.
Be strict and yet flexible
Be strict about the fulfilment of the roles but also be flexible. You should never forget that your children thrive on purpose and trust. Be strict about the chore schedule. See to it that your children know the repercussions of not doing their work. This helps them be punctual while developing a good work ethic.
At the same time, do not be too hard on them. Make sure that they know the purpose of every task. Help them understand that what you are teaching them is for their good.
Start small
Start with small tasks. See how your children perform with small tasks before trusting them with bigger ones.
Always be open to questions. Do the tasks with them at the beginning and show them how to see them through to completion. Reward them with encouragement when a job is done well, and let them know when they are ready to move on to more responsibility and ready to learn new skills.
Be a good example
When you set your children up with specific tasks and specific roles, you should be a good example. When they see how hard you are working, they should be encouraged to do their part. Of course, some tasks can be done by Mom or Dad alone while others must be done as a team.
As long as they feel close to you and do not have a fear of being criticized, they will want to do well and please you.
It is not always about work
Finally, keep in mind that even when you are teaching your children about working as a family, not everything is about work. You should always see to it that you also teach them the value of rest, relaxation, and anything that is important to their development and health.
Decide together what a good reward should be for a job well done. It may be going for ice cream, going for a hike or picnic, or going to the library to choose a good book.
Family Always Matters
At the end of the day, family always matters. Whether you feel your children are ready for certain responsibilities or whether your children are still learning, you can demonstrate that you are a family that helps each other.
Keep in mind that your child will always rely on your teachings. They are your legacy. The more you can teach them about what is good, what is right, and what is responsible, the more they can share what they’ve learned with the world around them.
As you work as a family, as you teach your children about work, you are teaching them to become better members of society.
