The Student Room Group

Would you make your children cook and clean?

Personally, I do both since I'm pretty young and although I hate it from time to time, it still a good thing to instill in your children, right? I mean, it's pretty scary the amount of people I know who've never had to do these things and who are going to be lost when going to uni for example.
So, do you think these things have an educational value or would you rather have your kids do something else and learn when they're older? :biggrin:

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Yes, training for life is important regardless of whether you are a male or female.
Yesssssss
Original post by childofthesun
Yesssssss


You can't really go wrong by teaching these things amirite??
I would teach them at a reasonable age it's important they learn or else they'll struggle when they're at uni
My parents got me into cleaning up the house when I was 11..I hated it with a passion but looking back I'm so glad they did because regardless of gender, you'll end up living by yourself someday and you need to know how to do housework. I find it so shocking that some of my friends leave their mums to do all the housework and don't even know how to switch a vacuum on themselves.

So yeah. I'd get my kids to start at like 10 or 11
Reply 6
Definitely. One thing I dislike about my parents is that they never taught me (although they have plenty of energy for getting chippy at me for not doing housework right).
My 9 year old and 7 year old make themselves breakfast, and they make breakfast for the 5 year old as well.

(Actually my 9 year old has been making her own breakfast since she was 4, but then again she's a bit like Matilda - advanced for her age. Obviously she doesn't have telekinesis haha).

As for cleaning the house, when I'm having a big house-tidy, everyone pitches in (except for the toddler). I assign them tasks that I know they can handle.
Original post by PinkMobilePhone
My 9 year old and 7 year old make themselves breakfast, and they make breakfast for the 5 year old as well.(Actually my 9 year old has been making her own breakfast since she was 4, but then again she's a bit like Matilda - advanced for her age. Obviously she doesn't have telekinesis haha).As for cleaning the house, when I'm having a big house-tidy, everyone pitches in (except for the toddler). I assign them tasks that I know they can handle.


Interesting! :smile: I actually wanted to have your input on this as you're a mother
Of course :yep:
If I have kids (and that's a BIG if) I'll teach them in a "fun" way from an early age so that it's not suddenly "time for chores" one day. I don't like the idea of pocket money in return for chores, but I would make it dependent on doing some chores - not like a set list for set amounts of money, but if they've contributed, they can have £15 for the cinema and a burger.

I'm really grateful to my parents that they taught me to contribute, even if that does now extend to them nagging about keeping my room tidy and doing things *right now* when I'm paying rent as well! I would hate to have MY children grow up and leave home having never made a cake, cooked a roast dinner, cleaned a bath, shower, loo etc. I wouldn't expect them to clean shared loos every week or anything like that, but they should know how to keep their own space tidy. Equally, if I ever childsit for my siblings (more likely than having my own bratlings!!) I'll expect them to help out...or at least to offer to. They're not guests unless I invite them over, so even if their mums wanted them to come and they didn't have a say, they'll help to cook or clean or lay the table, and not complain about my cooking!
When I turned up to uni I was the only one in my flat who bothered to cook anything or who had any sense of food hygiene. It took everyone else weeks/months to stop eating pasta or microwave meals as they had no idea what they were doing or what was good for them. We did cooking lessons in school, but that was completely useless. It should be up to the parents to teach their children how to cook a basic set of meals at the minimum. It is also a good thing as it encourages the children to eat proper food and know what they are actually eating. It really annoys me when I see families eating takeaway food or junk food most days of the week and who are too lazy to just cook a healthy meal. I believe cooking helps stop this. I hope this made some sense, rather than me rambling on?
Reply 12
its not about the teaching and values and all that crap its just because you don't want to do it and you can get your children to
Original post by jlsmp
its not about the teaching and values and all that crap its just because you don't want to do it and you can get your children to


I would be ashamed of myself if my children couldn't do **** :\
Original post by jedanselemyia
Interesting! :smile: I actually wanted to have your input on this as you're a mother


If I had the time I'd probably teach my 9 year old to do more cooking. She's desperate to cook full dinners, but right now things are hectic so I try and cook as quickly as I can. I know she'd be good at it though. When I was her age I baked buns and cakes on my own, and made things like scrambled / boiled eggs, welsh rarebits, pasta and so on. I hope to get a bit of chance to teach her more during the summer.

I'm also planning a session on how to use the washing machine at some point soon for both the 9 and 7 year olds (though my 7 year old has short term memory problems, so I'll probably need to teach him what to do at least 10 times before he retains what I'm telling him).
Reply 15
Original post by jedanselemyia
I would be ashamed of myself if my children couldn't do **** :\


You teach them to **** at young. Start with potty training and work your way up
Original post by jlsmp
its not about the teaching and values and all that crap its just because you don't want to do it and you can get your children to


What a load of rubbish. It's a parent's job to prepare their children for future adult life. Far too many kids grow up knowing bugger all and can't fend for themselves properly in terms of cooking and cleaning. They end up living on pot noodles!

Plus in a household, everybody contributes to making a mess, therefore everybody contributes to cleaning it up!
Reply 17
Original post by PinkMobilePhone
What a load of rubbish. It's a parent's job to prepare their children for future adult life. Far too many kids grow up knowing bugger all and can't fend for themselves properly in terms of cooking and cleaning. They end up living on pot noodles!

Plus in a household, everybody contributes to making a mess, therefore everybody contributes to cleaning it up!


Yeah thats what all parents say to justify it.

And what do you mean fend for themselves in cooking and cleaning. If thats a struggle for them well then i dont know what to say
Original post by jlsmp
Yeah thats what all parents say to justify it.

And what do you mean fend for themselves in cooking and cleaning. If thats a struggle for them well then i dont know what to say


I know people in their 20s who still have their parents doing their cooking and cleaning for them, claiming to not know long to boil rice, or how to cook a chicken, or how to use a washing machine.

I take it you're going through a phase of teenage angst right now and are pissed off at your parents for making you pitch in? Aww diddums.
Original post by jlsmp
You teach them to **** at young. Start with potty training and work your way up


You obviously knew what I meant

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