The above graphic was posted on the FB page of Maria Montessori with the caption “Don’t underestimate your child – independence can start early at home!”
After 3 days it was liked by over 83k people, shared 284k times and commented on by over 7k. The majority of people that commented were in agreement with the graphic and many tried to explain why kids in today’s society don’t do many of these chores. The blame was mainly on the parents of these children but some parents fired back and stated that “kids are not slaves” and why they don’t think kids need to do these type of chores.
Here’s a few arguments from the comments section.
Tracey Holt Why bother having kids if you just want slaves!! By the time they have done all these chores they’d be mid forties!!! Keeping their rooms tidy and a bit of washing up etc I think is enough x life for parents is much easier these days with all the mod cons!! I want my kids to enjoy their childhood not resent it!!! What a load of bollocks!!!
Zoe Greenway Think some of you are missing the point. It’s not to make them do all of it but to show what they could do at different ages. It teaches them responsibility, improves self esteem, gives them independence. It also helps them learn basic things for younger children. .. left, right, up and down…. motor skills too. It will get your child active and give them a sense of purpose. Dont use these thing as a way to get out of doing them as children get older but as a way to include children in the family home with some responsibility for all that entails. Children should be children but we seem to have gone to extreme and have a generation of quite frankly little shits who think that the world owes them a favour.
Rosee De NONE of these chores are in the right groups.!! While your child is young 2-3 they should not be doing house work yes I agree they should be helping a little with there tidy the toys but that it. Let kids be kids not your personal slave
Lori Ramsey-Fuchs If people don’t start giving/teaching their kids responsibilities it will be their own fault when their 30 year old still lives with mom and can’t keep a spouse or a job. We all know some of those people. Parents have a job and that job is not to do everything for their kids, it’s to teach the kids to do for themselves. Just saying.
Delinda Neal We don’t have children to turn them into our personal slaves. I understand the idea, to make them responsible citizens, but this is way over the top.
Naomi Pratt Hasenauer I was 7 years old and mopped floors, cooked scrambled eggs on the stove and washed clothes and loved doing things for myself and have grown up to be a very clean, strong and independent woman and teach my kids to be independent. That’s the problem with the world now days is so many people want to pass down laziness, disrespect or zoning out on video games.
Barbara Brennan As a Montessori teacher I can say that yes, children are capable of doing these chores, obviously this has not been written by Maria herself lol, but in her time, early 20 century,, children were required to help out a lot more around the home, families were bigger for a start and the modern appliances didn’t exist, everything had to be done by hand. So in order for everyone to be kept clean, warm and fed huge efforts were required by everyone in the household. On the other hand she could see wealthy adults who had maids and servants do everything for them, brushing their hair, dressing them, preparing their food, opening doors for them, making them effectively incapable of looking after themselves!!! Growing up in the 1970’s I remember helping my mother washing dishes and filling the coal bucket for the fire, hanging out washing on the line etc, but with dishwashers and central heating, washing machines and tumble driers many of these labour intensive chores simply take minutes to complete..however my own children, do help out around the house, yes it often takes an argument to get them to tidy their bed rooms, but since they were very little I had them fetch things from their rooms, tidy away their toys, take their plate to the sink after they’ve eaten, (teaching them respect, that I’m their mother not their servant) and help with food preparation, whisking, pouring, chopping soft fruits/veg and the one comment their friends mothers make about my kids is how well mannered and independent they are, of which I’m proud. They will someday be out in the world on their own, prepare them for life, there’s nothing as pathetic as a grown man or woman who can’t wire a plug!!!!
Max Webb My kids are 50. What are appropriate for them?
