You've heard of handmade cookies, haven't you? What about made-with-your-hands-actually-in-the-bowl-of-dough cookies? I couldn't find the mixer tonight! I had to get my hands in the chocolate chip cookie dough in order to mix it thoroughly enough to go in the oven. It's alright though... the cookies still taste good!
You see, my sister is responsible for doing the dishwasher each day. In addition to cleaning the table after dinner, doing the dishwasher is my sister's big daily chore. I can still remember when I passed the baton to her, because putting the dishes away had been my chore until I left for college.
We've all had daily chores growing up, because my parents always wanted to teach us to contribute to the household. From setting the table, to taking out garbage, to overseeing the twins brushing their teeth, we each do something to help out on a daily basis. Some chores aren't bad, while others you can't wait to be finished with, but my parents give age-appropriate tasks to everyone.
For example, this morning my mom tried to get the twins to help out in doing their laundry. Twin B was all into sorting the socks that had come out of the dryer, but Twin A wanted nothing to do with the task! Sometimes we'll ask the girls to help set the table, by putting out napkins or silverware, and they always need to clean up the playroom at the end of the night. Everyone is assigned chores according to their ability and they learn responsibility by helping out.
From the time you're old enough to handle a small chore, my parents have involved my siblings and I in chores. My parents have also always included any foster children in our home in chores as well. Chores are not just assigned after you become a permanent member of the family; if you're old enough to help out with something, then you're given a chore for as long as you're part of the family.
I think that giving foster children chores helps to give them a sense of normalcy. Sometimes foster parents want to coddle their foster children, but I think that they need to be treated exactly the same way that biological children would be treated. If you give your biological child chores, then you should give your foster child chores as well. In most cases, they haven't experienced this sense of normalcy and family responsibility in the homes that they came from, so you're really helping them to understand how families work together to take care of the house.
Thank you so much for your continued support! I look forward to sharing more stories about my experience with foster care, and hopefully hearing from readers who have questions or similar stories to share. I'm always willing to answer questions and hear about other experiences! Please don't forget to like and share my Facebook author page as well!
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Thanks!
Taylor
**This blog post was somehow deleted when I tried to post it. I re-wrote it to the best of my ability, but may have left some pieces out. Please feel free to comment with any questions if something does not make sense. Thanks!**