Instilling a Hard Work Ethic

Do your Gen Zs do chores? Or shall I say, do you get them to do chores? I do…and it’s often a battle but it’s one battle I won’t give up.
Every Sunday we schedule time for the family to do chores. The kids clean up their rooms, fold their laundry, my son does heavy or outdoor work and my daughter begs to mop the floor…most of the time.  And this article explains why I demand they come out of the gaming cave and get to work – – to instill a strong work ethic.  My Depression era parents pushed chores excessively – I mowed the lawn at age 16, polished boats at age 14, raked leaves since I could hold a rake – and to this day, I have a hard work ethic which has helped me greatly. So read this article and think about your Gen Zs….while they deserve some down time from school, sports and social media, you’re doing them a favor by getting them to do chores. Remind them that working hard leads to earning hard cash and they’ll pitch in. Now paying them for chores is another topic in it’s own.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/northwesternmutual/2013/12/17/instilling-a-work-ethic-in-generation-y-and-z/

From the article:
Start Early
The standard form of work for children is chores around the house, but as any parent knows, getting kids to do them is a monumental task in itself. However, experts agree that it’s worth the effort, and the earlier kids start, the better. A University of Minnesota study (Involving Children in Household Tasks: Is It Worth The Effort?, Dr. Marty Rossmann, 2002) showed that children who take part in household chores at an early age do better later in life. However, if parents attempt to begin later with teenagers age 15-16, they faced a backlash effect that appeared to negatively impact their children’s future.  The message is clear: Delay to your child’s detriment.