Working: It’s all in the family

Got Kids?

Homeschooling?

Got laundry?

Feeling behind? Overwhelmed?

Good news!  If you have a child who is four or older, you’ve got help! 🙂

Homeschooling is a lifestyle. Around here, sometimes that means taking the day off and catching up on chores that have been overlooked. We teach our children the importance of working simply because they are part of the family.  While we reward our children for “extra” things like washing the car or helping with a family project, their primary reward is the reward of working together as a family.  Of appreciating the food they eat and the clothes they wear—and the warm comfy bed that greets them each night.

As they grow, knowing they have done a good job by helping their parents around the house becomes a reward in and of itself, and an important part of growing up.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to train up your kids! Train them in every way you can—pretty soon they will be running their own homes.

This entry was posted in MomStrong Parenting and tagged , , on by .

About Heidi St. John

Heidi has been married to her husband Jay since 1989. Together they have seven children and three grandchildren! The St. Johns homeschooled their kids all the way through high school. Heidi is the the author of seven books, host of the popular podcast "Off the Bench," and the founder of MomStrong International, an online community of women learning God's Word and how to apply it to every day life. She and her husband Jay are also the founders of Firmly Planted Family and the Firmly Planted Homeschool Resource Center, located in Vancouver, Washington.

14 thoughts on “Working: It’s all in the family

  1. Chastity Ray

    Well said! Thank you for all the encouragement you give us homeschool moms and you nuggets of wisdom. I love reading all your post!

    Reply
  2. KELLY COOK

    I totally agree! There have been days that we have forgone the workbooks and just caught up on laundry, dishes, etc. I have three girls so I feel it important to teach them how to keep a clean and organized home. Funny thing is, I am having to learn how to do so, right along with my three little ones! hahaha. I’m a work in progress. 🙂

    Reply
  3. Jamie

    I don’t Homeschool – except my preschoolers – but we live by many of the same principles that you share, and I find a lot of encouragement in the “like minded-ness.” 🙂 Thank you for today’s installment!

    Reply
  4. Rachael

    Sometimes I feel if I just do it myself, it will be clean and we can move on with our day. I need to learn to step back and let my kids do whatever it is and be happy!

    Reply
  5. Anna Owings

    I looked around at my kids who had huddled up behind me & read the beginning of the post out loud. LOL We all work all the time. We have 6 people in a teeny-tiny house & school books, & general stuff can get really out of hand. By the way, I have three boys who can clean house better than some girls. I figure I’m giving my future daughter-in-laws a gift. 🙂

    Reply
  6. Heather Van Galder

    Have started to teach my just turned four year old about “chores” or responsibilities that he will have about the house! He is doing great and my 1 1/2 yr old is trying to follow along!! So far they love helping!

    Reply
  7. Amy H

    Thank you so much for this. I, sometimes need a reminder that I am not a superwoman and cannot (and should not) have to do it all. Delegation in our family is very much necessary as the new homeschooling year starts up for me to have enough hours in the day to train up my children properly. Giving them tasks and chores is a part of that training…no matter how much they sometimes complain about it.

    Reply
  8. Melissa

    I love your posts. They are short…to the point..and always uplifting!
    My children have started making their own breakfast and lunch each day. Not only do they love doing it but it also gives me some time to do other things. My 11 year old amd 8 yr old help out with the laundry. I’ll have to involve my 5 yr old too.
    Thanks 🙂

    Reply
  9. Paula

    Thank you so much for your post. Today we desperately needed to reorganize and clean before we could even begin lessons. I was feeling a little guilty that my daughter was not doing lesson work but was helping me clean out her closet! I had just said to my daughter, “some days, you just need to take time to clean up the clutter – this will just have to be homeschool today.” Then I read your post and immediately felt permission to allow our cleaning day to actually be a homeschool day. Thank you for being real and honest. I felt my self-inflicted burden lift. Thank you.

    Reply
    1. heidistjohn Post author

      Hi Paula! That’s awesome! I’m so glad… took me 10 years before I gave myself “permission” to take a day off school to do “real life”. Way to go! 🙂

      Reply

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