2. Jobs
Jobs:
Like most American households, the Eschlemans are regularly on the go with various activities and responsibilities, and while busy, try to lead satisfying and fulfilling and lives. However, one of the consequences of this busy schedule is having only limited time to attend to normal household responsibilities, or, as they are more commonly known, chores.
Having a desire to impart as much responsibility as we feel they deserve and are able to assume, my wife Megan and I have become diligent in ensuring that both Henry and Josephine fulfill their responsibilities as contributing members of our household. While “chores” has been rebranded to “jobs,” the goal remains the same – engendering a sense of accomplishment in both of them, as well as cultivating the importance of teamwork and affording them the opportunity to begin to see themselves as important contributors to the family.
We did not receive the parenting guidebook when either of them was born, so hopefully some of this is sticking. However, there is another major lesson with this “jobs” program I would like to instill and cultivate in both Henry and Josephine – fiscal savvy and responsibility.
On the fridge in the kitchen, Henry and Josephine each have their “job chart” – nothing fancy, just six rows of jobs, and seven columns for each day of the week. The goal is to have each of them receive a star for completing each of their six jobs on a daily basis (42 total possible stars every week). Yes, for Megan and me it can be a job in and of itself just helping the kids stay on task to complete as many of their jobs as possible.
