Chores: The Canary in the Coal Mine of Kids’ Character | Intellectual Takeout:
"Last month, Business Insider ran a list of 13 things parents can do to turn their child into a successful adult.
The first item on the list was to make a child do chores.
Given the fact that only 28 percent of parents require their children to do chores, it seems that we’re destined for a generation of unsuccessful adults.
And according to recent statements by pediatrician Deborah Gilboa, children who don’t do chores will not only be unsuccessful in material achievements, they will also be unsuccessful in the area of moral character.
“Chores,” Gilboa noted, “are the canary in the coal mine of kids’ character.” She goes on to say that parents who allow children to get out of chores because they are too busy are raising children to be selfish:
“If we see teens as selfish, it is only because we have given them the opportunity to focus on themselves. …
Taking out the garbage builds character. Family work proves to kids that they’re not above serving the needs of the group – that they’re not exempt from helping. We’re convincing our kids that their character isn’t quite as important to us as their achievements.”
Furthermore, Dr. Gilboa notes that parents who worry chores will make their children unhappy are barking up the wrong tree:
“Their happiness is not my responsibility. Their character is my responsibility.”
Would you agree with Dr. Gilboa?
Is it time that parents realize that sparing their children from work is not a service, but a detriment to them socially, physically, and morally?
“Idleness, and its Amusements are in the End more tiresome than Labour itself.” – Benjamin Franklin, 1757"
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