Thomas Edison said, “Opportunity is missed by most because it is dressed in overalls and it looks like work.”
As parents, it is imperative that we teach our children how to work. Training them to tackle a job and see it through to the end builds character and develops personal responsibility. Here are a few ideas to consider.
- Begin while they are young, capitalizing on the fact that they typically enjoy “helping” us as we work around the house. At this point, they won’t even realize that they are working, but will just enjoy copying Dad or Mom .
- As they grow, encourage their productivity by assigning age-appropriate chores and instructing your children in the proper way to complete their duty.
- At the right time, begin to associate work with reward by giving some form of payment for jobs completed. While some tasks are performed simply to help the family, others can be done for money.
- Allow them to see us enjoying our work. Whether it be housekeeping, mowing the lawn, or fulfilling the obligations of our occupation, it is good for our children to see us enjoying what we do.
- Demonstrate Colossians 3:23. “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.” All that we seek to accomplish – including our work – should be done as if we were doing it for Christ.
As our daughters grow older, I’m realizing what a privilege it is to have them work alongside me in our home, whether folding laundry or baking muffins. Working together gives us time for conversation and builds a sense of camaraderie.
While our children will not always find work to be fun, they can learn that there is satisfaction and fulfillment in a job well done.
How do you teach your children to work?
I've been doing pretty much what you wrote about here, and it does work well. I do so enjoy working alongside the children, and it is such a joy to see them working and serving the Lord through it. 🙂
I figured out last year, that if Sophie was interested in helping,I should let her! She does a great job wiping spills, putting away dishes from the dishwasher, and sweeping the floors.
I remember as a child that my mom did not like to do chores {again, from a child's perspective!} so I try to be cheerful about everything – from cleaning up dog poop in the yard to laundry to vacuuming 🙂
All those are very very good points 🙂
We like to encourage then to work, lots of praising and overlooking imperfections and mistake when young. We also have a multi-generation business so they are part of that, doing what they can according to their age, they love being part of the bigger picture!