The Importance of Chores for Teens
When parents talk to teens about chores, teens aren't usually too eager to disengage from the plethora of distractions around them. Despite this, don’t be discouraged or dissuaded from delegating chores. The immediate and long term-benefits of chores for your teen more than outweigh an adolescent groan or facial grimace.
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Strengthens Family Connections
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Assigning chores to your teen builds family connections and shields her from negative influences that she will carry well into adulthood. The National Association for School Psychologists reports that your teen’s participation in completing household chores reinforces family ties through reciprocated consideration and attention to the family unit. A strong family connection provides your teen with a membership anchor to a cohesive unit where she feels valued and secure, and this protects her from some of the toxic influences of peer pressure.
Teaches Self-Sufficiency
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Parents instinctively recognize the importance of gradually preparing their tiny, bundled infant for independent adulthood long before their little one is driving a car. However, this stage suddenly looms in the immediate future when your child becomes a teen. Chores teach and prepare your teen to become a self-sufficient, responsible young adult who can successfully live apart from her parents.
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Builds Self-Discipline
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When your kids become teens, they take on new roles, encounter new demands on their time and test the boundaries of new cognitive skills. These changes are inherent to the adolescent’s development. The key to successfully navigating the evolving landscape is the ability to curb impulsivity. This self-discipline equips your teen to meet the new challenges she faces. Chores provide teens with a head start on building a foundation of self-discipline. Self-discipline enables your teen to flourish as a productive college student, employee and community member.
Enlist Your Reticent Teen
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It’s never too late for your teen to benefit from the experience of chores. Appropriate chores for your teen include completing yard work, taking care of laundry and pets and cleaning the bathroom. The parenting website HealthyChildren.org recommends parents to meet with their children on a weekly basis to discuss the delegation of chores, address your teen’s concerns and offer positive support. Solicit your teen’s feedback and praise her efforts.
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