Follow These 8 Steps to Get Your Family to Help Around the House

It’s frustrating when you have to take care of the house all alone. It’s even more frustrating when there are perfectly capable bodies in the vicinity that never seem to help! Unless you’re one of the very, very few that enjoy housework, it would be nice to get a little help now and then. You may have given up all hope of getting the help you desire.

However, you might have a few options you haven’t considered yet.

Get the spouse and kids to assist with the housework:

1. Have a conversation with the entire family. Let everyone know that you mean business. Most poor behavior comes from tolerance. You get what you’re willing to tolerate. Try to keep the mood light, but let your feelings that you want and expect more help be known.

2. Make a list of everything that needs to be done. Make separate lists for daily, weekly, and monthly chores. Include things like shopping, paying the monthly bills, and picking up dog poop in the backyard.

3. Assign chores. Give everyone something to do. Even the 5-year old can put the silverware away. Older kids can handle longer and more complex tasks. Make each child responsible for the condition of their room. Even the little ones can put their toys away and put their dirty clothes in the hamper.

Give your family members the chance to choose their chores. Try to even out the time that will be spent by each person on chores.

4. Set aside a housekeeping time. Maybe it’s from 6:30-7:00 each night. The kids clean their rooms and put away their things. Your spouse does the dishes and cleans the kitchen. You can vacuum and tidy up the primary living areas. Save the bigger tasks for the weekends.

It helps to work together. It lessens the resentment. If everyone is working at the same time, no one has room to complain.

Set a timer and make a race out of it. Several pairs of hands working hard for thirty minutes each day can accomplish a lot.

5. Inspect what you expect. View yourself as a quality control inspector. Have expectations and ensure that they’re being met. Do a regular inspection and let the appropriate person know how they’re doing. Give praise and don’t be afraid to deal out a little punishment.

6. Deal with your spouse. It’s easy to boss the kids around. The spouse is a little trickier. You know their soft spots. Use them to your advantage! Bribery can help, too.

7. Be flexible and patient. Creating new habits and routines can take time. No one is going to perform a chore in exactly the same way you would. If you want perfection, do it yourself. Flexibility and patience will be appreciated by all. You’ll also avoid driving yourself crazy in the process.

8. Go on strike if necessary. He only needs a few days without a clean shirt to realize that he’s fighting a losing battle. Be strong!

You don’t have to run the house alone. You can get the help you desire.

Create a plan and get your spouse and children to help with the housework. You can save a lot of time and resentment if you can get a little help. Be assertive and ask for the help you need. It can be a great way for the family to bond.