WORKING FOR IT

Child labour gets Kate in a heap of trouble at home

In our house, we’ve always tried to run a combination of chores that earn pocket money for the kids and jobs they have to do but don’t get paid for. It’s a balancing act between what you’re expected to contribute to the house versus jobs that go above and beyond.

This has always elicited lots of rigorous debate (OK, arguments) around what constitutes paid work and what should just be done out of the goodness of their little hearts. In their minds, the less done out of the goodness of their hearts, the better.

And the older they get, the more their negotiating skills improve and their desire for equality and their ability to argue a case gets stronger.

When they’re little, they love a star chart and a roster on the fridge of jobs to be ticked off. A sticker at the end of the week is just as thrilling, if not more so, than a few dollars in the piggy bank. Choosing a sticker and plonking it on to say “job done” is all the sense of achievement they need. They beam with pride, while stroking their shiny little SpongeBob SquarePants sticker.

But then one day they grow up and wake up to the value of money. Suddenly they want to negotiate. “But if I do the bins, plus walk the dog and do the laundry, then technically I’m really doing more than the others, so I need to be paid more for that.”

It’s tragic when this happens because you realise the joy of stickers is over and if you even think of reviving a star chart system, they will scowl at you with the kind of disdain usually reserved for their least favourite vegetable.

In the early days, we started with a roster full of names, columns and jobs on the fridge. Having five kids meant a lot of columns and I would laboriously write these up, discuss with them who wanted which jobs, allocate them all, then copy the roster and buy endless stickers to go on it.

I think I worked harder than anyone trying to keep track of who did what, but it gave us the illusion that we lived in a democracy where everyone played their part.

Then one day, they’re old enough to get part-time jobs and suddenly a new chapter is opened. How much can be expected of them at home if every bit of spare time is spent at their parttime jobs? What is the incentive for them for the paid chores at home if the paid employment outside of the home is providing a better income for less taxing work?

When do they get time to do the paid home stuff, plus the unpaid home stuff, as well as get to their part-time jobs, while also studying, attending school, playing sport and having a life?

It gets tricky. I still haven’t worked out the answers, but if someone figures it out, can you please let me know? The kitchen bins need emptying.