Chore list designed for kids divides the internet with many saying they are not able to do them

‘My husband doesn’t do 99 per cent of this!’ Chore list designed for kids divides the internet – so would you make your kids do them?

  • Australian mums have been divided over a list of age-appropriate chores for kids
  • The list includes kids as young as two and goes until they are ’12 and over’
  • Some mums said they can’t even get their husbands to do chores on the list

A list of ‘age appropriate chores for children’ has been shared online, but it has left mums divided over whether kids should be able to do as much as it suggests.  

Some said they would never expect their children to do chores like mowing the lawn or cooking dinner, while others simply laughed and said their children would ‘never agree to it’.

‘My husband is 38 and can’t do simple home repairs, let alone my 12-year-old daughter,’ one woman said. 

A definitive list of chores for children reveals by the age of six they should be peeling vegetables (stock image)

The list has divided mums - some say they can't even do half of the chores on the list - others think the list helps kids learn how to be independent later

The list has divided mums – some say they can’t even do half of the chores on the list – others think the list helps kids learn how to be independent later

Poll

Do you think the list is appropriate for children?

  • Yes 146 votes
  • No 130 votes

‘I can’t get my six-year-old to put clothes anywhere other than the floor,’ another mum said.

‘I have the same problem with mine, and she is 11,’ another said.

The list states that two to three-year-old boys and girls should be able to do chores like putting their dirty clothes in the laundry hamper and fetch their nappies and wipes.

When they reach age seven, they should be emptying the dishwasher, peeling vegetables and replacing the toilet roll.

By the time they are age 12, they should be able to cook a whole dinner, iron their clothes, mow the lawn and change the light bulbs when they blow. 

Other chores expected from age 12 including watching their other siblings, painting the walls and washing the windows. 

Some mums said they can’t expect children to do things they can’t do.

‘I, for one, can’t do a lot of those chores,’ one mum said.

‘If the kids are doing all that then what are the parents doing,’ one woman said. 

‘Unpopular opinion but my kids are just kids. I was brought up in a household where I did these chores daily and HATED it. Not saying it’s necessarily wrong but I absolutely cannot make my babies do something I resented as a child,’ another mum said.

‘My husband doesn’t do 99 percent of this list, why should my kids?’ one woman laughed.  

The list says by the age of ten children should be able to mow the lawn (stock image)

The list says by the age of ten children should be able to mow the lawn (stock image)

But some thought the list was entirely reasonable.

‘We did these jobs in my house when I was growing up, I think it is fine and teaches kids how to live in the real world,’ one woman said. 

‘My boys can cook, clean, know how to help dye roots, change a light bulb, plumb a washing machine, and it started from the day they could walk,’ one mum said.  

‘I’m proud to have raised boys that know their way around the home. I didn’t call it chores, it was called spending time, showing, learning and it was an absolute pleasure,’ she continued.

‘My daughter is three and does all the chores listed under 2-3 and 4-5. With directions of course but I refuse to let her be catered to until she’s 6,’ said another mum.