Get Help With Household Chores: Best Tips to Make Your Husband and Kids Lend a Hand Without Nagging (2020)

• It is proven through various studies that making your bed every morning increases your productivity. It is the first task of the day and brings a sense of accomplishment and encourages one to tidy up and start the day with another task right after.


• Working in your yard/lawn lowers the risk of first-time heart attack or a stroke by 30% and an added advantage of mowing the grass in your garden is that the fresh-cut grass releases a chemical which relaxes people and uplifts their mood.


• Washing dishes lowers your nervousness level by 30%; you are in contact with the water, dishes, and the mild smell of soap, which brings a sense of ease to a person. You don't need to concentrate while washing dishes so you can let your mind wander around, or sing your favorite tune and feel happy.


• Do you fight with your partner over who should clean the bathroom? You should not because a clean bathroom shows how much you care for your family. Bathrooms are full of harmful bacteria, and when you clean it, you reduce the chances of your family getting sick.


• Did you know that people with messy kitchen are 77% more overweight in comparison to people with a clean kitchen? With a clean kitchen, you can make the right decision on what to cook, spend time on healthy cooking rather than whipping up a ready to eat a meal.


• If you are vacuuming for 30 minutes, you are losing the same amount of calories as you would during kickboxing in 15 minutes. Vacuuming lets you work on your arms, core, and legs and keeps you fit, so next time grab the vacuum and aim to vacuum the entire house at one go.


• The smell of fresh lemon has the ability to lower your mood disturbance, anxiety, depression, confusion, fatigue, and tension. Overall it makes you happy, so next time you plan to dust, mix lemon with water and a little oil and wipe your wooden furniture, kitchen cabinets, etc.


• Cooking is a major chore, and it is like a therapy for many. It helps to de-stress and is beneficial for your health. It decreases anxiety and insomnia, plus you will become the favourite of your in-laws and other family members. The smell of spices uplifts your mood in an instant.

• Find out what is important to each of you. Some people are not bothered by a messy home, but it might trouble your spouse, so the best thing would be to compromise and find out what bothers him or her and choose the chore according to that.


• Cooking can be a relaxing activity for some, but not all women like to cook; if your husband likes it, he can work in the kitchen a few days a week.


• Decide on who will clean the toilet or you can take turns on cleaning it. You can decide on fixing days of cleaning the bathroom so both can take turns, and your bathroom remains clean all the time.


• It is important to find out what you or your partner hates doing, but the other one is ok to do it. You can either hire help to do that particular chore or work as a team to get it done, which will bring encouragement, add some music and playtime while doing it to keep the fun part going.


• If you are an early riser, don't expect your partner to work according to your clock. Don't force each other; otherwise, it will bring tension in your relationship. Let the partner decided when and how he/she wants to get her part of the work done.


• Inform your partner beforehand if you are busy the coming week in meetings or special occasions; divide the chore according to that. Be flexible, and if you are finicky about a certain thing, don't expect your partner to get it exactly the way you want it, do it yourself to avoid bitterness.


• Decide on what is really important, for example, is it necessary to clean the windows daily, or remove the weeds from the garden every second day? Don't push each other into doing things that are not necessary; you can sit and decide the day of the week when it can be done. Planning it properly will make you feel not-burdened.


• There are other important chores than cleaning like paying the bills, planning a meal, buying gifts, or planning a party. Decide on what interests your spouse and hand him/her the work.


• Don't do each other's share of household chore, and don't expect him/her to do your work in return. Certain things like picking up shoes or mail are usually not in the list but need to be done, so if you are doing it, don't feel resentful about it. Appreciate your partner if he/she does it on her own.


• Don't forget to add incentives. Plan a fun night/romantic night with your partner once a week to show your appreciation towards him/her.

• Teach your child to put the shoes in the stand each time they take it off. This will teach them to organize their belongings.


• Let them help you with grocery shopping, ask them to choose the vegetables they would like to eat; you can teach them about nutritional foods along the way.


• Ask them to clean their room each day, ask them to put their toys, books, etc. in the right place after use, make them clean the trash and separate useful things, and throw away the things which are of no use to them. You can ask them to take out things which can be donated. Your kids will learn to be kind and share their belongings with people who need them more.


• Ask your children to set the table before a meal and clean up after the meal. They can help put the leftovers in the fridge or bringing dirty dishes back to the kitchen after a meal. They will learn to keep hygiene.


• Kids have a load of books in their rooms, ask them to put them neatly. You can ask them to put it in alphabetical order to make it fun for them. Ask them to keep their study tables tidy and bags in order so they won't have to look for things when they need them.


• If you want to keep your child involved with you, you can ask them to fold the laundry with you. Teach them the correct way of folding different clothes. It is a good habit to keep their clothes nicely wrapped in the almirah.


• Ask your kids to put the toys back after playtime. Give them different boxes to put different toys. They will learn to put things back and managing things.

• Watering plants
• Feeding the pet
• Walking the pet or cleaning litter
• Washing the pet or the pet's food and water bowl
• Babysitting younger siblings
• Making snacks for siblings.

You also need to find chores that help your teenager become a good citizen. If you have two growing kids at home, you should divide these chores evenly to they both can learn from it. Here is a list of things that can help them be a better citizen.

• Vacuuming the house
• Cleaning the kitchen and bathroom floors
• Dusting
• Straightening the living room
• Shampooing the carpets
• Organize drawers and almirahs
• Separating the things to be recycled
• Taking out trash
• Cooking dinner with you
• Wash and dry laundry
• Cleaning the bathroom sink, mirror, and toilet after use
• Washing windows once a week
• Cleaning the refrigerator
• Mopping floors
• Sanitizing surfaces

• Asking a teenager to do something right then and there is not a good idea; they might be busy in something they like, and having to leave that in the middle might irritate them. Assign the chores ahead of time for them; ask them in a polite but authoritative one. Instead of asking them to get up and do this, you can ask them to get the work done when they are done with whatever they are busy with. This shows that you respect what they are doing.


• Teenage is the time to learn self-discipline. Give them chores that need to be done regularly, like washing clothes or cleaning the bathroom. Give them flexibility for doing their chores, let them dance around, or listen to music when they are doing their work. Let him decide when he wants to get the work done. He will learn to make choices instead of relying on you and waiting for instructions.


• Teenagers like to earn as they have little things that they want to spend money on, it could be a new piece of clothing or a gadget they want. Offering them incentives is a great way to make them work and earn for themselves. If there are things that you have to pay others to do, you can ask your child to do it and pay him like servicing the fans during winters, etc. This will teach them to be responsible for little things and also that if they need money, they need to work for it, nothing comes for free.


• Let your child know that if the duty given to them is not done they will have to bear the consequences. You can start by taking away their privileges like cutting on internet time. Let him decide if he is ready to face the consequences. If he is not able to finish the chores go through with the consequences without reminding him to make him realize his mistake.


• Don't nag, give one reminder. You can use the "if" and "then" statement for him to show the importance of getting his chore done and then don't remind him. Avoid lectures and shaming him; this may make him resentful towards you.


• Be precise with your instructions. Clean your room is not a proper instruction. Ask him to tidy his bed, put the books back, sweep and dust the room; he will know exactly what needs to be done. What seems to be common sense to you might not be so common for them.


• Be a good example for your kids. If you want them to put away their phones while studying, you need to do the same; if you want them to make their bed, you make your’s first. Teenagers do not follow lectures; they learn from what they see, so set a good example for them.


• Don't let your kids get away with things done half-heartedly. Ask them to do it again until they do it right.