Weekends!

Funny timing, this question.
On Sunday by son was moaning that the "5 days of school, 2 days of weekend" didn't seem fair.
Now, I know the "pressures" of third grade pale to the pressures of adult life, but he doesn't know that--yet.
Actually, I'd like it to stay that way for a little while longer!
I vote "no" to weekend cleaning!

I understand the importance of your son helping clean so he doesn't just think his room magically cleans itself...But, he is only going to be a kid for a little while. So I say no to Saturday cleaning! Kids have schol all week and parents have work.. Just take the weekend and relax with your family! :)

I think it's important for everyone to pitch in. First, the kids need to learn how and what to clean. How to clean, what to clean, and what to use to clean certain items are things that need to be taught by parents and learned by the kids.

Also, I think it's important for them to pitch in because that's what people do - they all pitch in for the common good.

Also, like you said, kids don't realize all that we do when they never see it. Your son probably doesn't really notice that his room is clean, because you clean it all the time. Stop cleaning it for a few days and he will be amazed and will probably ask you what happened.

Having them pitch in for a few hours every weekend doesn't take their weekend away from them - it's only a couple of hours. But it does teach them that they have responsibilities to the house and the family and that they need to take care of those responsibilities first, then play later.

We don't do much house cleaning during the week because hubby and I both work full time. But we do pick up after ourselves, beds are made daily and dishes done right after meals. GD knows that she must make her bed every day, and on weekends she cleans the sink and toilet in her bathroom, cleans her room, and folds and puts away her own laundry. She will turn 10 next month. In about a year, I plan to add dishes 2 xs per week to her chore list.

Yes, my kids do love the weekends. They also help out.

All of your kids should be cleaning their own rooms and also having some other responsibilities throughout the home. You are family, not their maid or personal assistant. Families buckle down together and get the job done so EVERYONE can enjoy their time together.

Also...who cares if your daughter's room doesn't stay clean? As long as she picks it up and keeps it relatively clean...why is perfection a requirement?

Kids need to be kids. My boys' room is a wreck, but every week or two I have them spend an hour or two really deep cleaning it. More often than not, it's cluttered. But they like that it's their space to keep messy or clean as they see fit because home shouldn't be the place they come and end up being judged for their ability to clean...it should be their soft place to fall and feel accepted and loved.

Well our weekends are so busy with dance, basketball, football, softball, and school that we hardly know we have a weekend! We also do church most Sundays.

But to answer your question...my kids are responsble for keeping their rooms tidy at all times. I don't expect spotless, but still "clean." They also have one chore per week. We rotate with bringing down the dirty clothes (hubby and I wash, dry, fold, and put away all but their pj's...and my 8 year old puts her clothes away too - her choice), wiping the table and counters, and picking up/vacuuming the living room. Those chores are quick and easy for them, they are helping the family, and it makes a huge difference in the house. My daughter also likes to mop. All of the kids like to lysol the doorknobs and lightswitches, and they enjoy pledging the stairs...go figure!

I think kids need to be kids, but they are old enough from 3 or so on to help around the house. Weekends are not meant to be lazy 24/7 days...so yea, I'd have him help. Don't make him do everything you do, but why can't he dust his room on a Saturday? Or run the vacuum on a Sunday? It will take him 5 minutes and will be a huge help to the family - plus his future wife!!

We have everyone clean well 2x a month and do their own folding and putting away of laundry. As long as it's done by our deadline, they can go out and have fun the rest of the weekend. If SD knows that she won't be here or wants to hang with friends, she'll clean her room earlier.

If a cleaner room during the week is important to you, then set a timer for 20 minutes and tell them to pick up their floor before dinner.

We ignore their rooms til that periodic clean - as long as the rest of the house isn't a wreck with their stuff.

Just an FYI, you may want to change your heading to "cleaning on weekends" or something more clear on what your really are asking.

My personal opinion is that weekends are for fun and family time and especially Sunday, is the "day of rest". I tend to not even cook on Sunday, only sandwiches, soups, etc. Quick and fast things you can throw together.

I work from home and have tons of free time to do as I wish. We try to do all our cleaning during the week. My kids are 12 and 9 and help with cleaning. My son takes the trash out every day and the cans down when its time and brings them back. My daughter loads and unloads the dishwasher. They also make their beds every morning and have to generally keep their rooms picked up. They also wash, dry and put away their own clothes. One of them will clean the tub and the other will clean the toilet and wipe down the sink in their bathroom.

My hubby does all our laundry, wash, dry and puts away. He also sweeps and mops our floors (we don't have carpet in the house). I do all the shopping and cooking and keep the kitchen clean. I dust the house maybe every few months. Dust doesn't bother us. LOL!!! Everything else we generally just try to keep up with as we see it needs to be done.

I also have downsized most of the house, including the kids bedrooms. Its so much easier to keep organized and clean when you don't have junk all over the place. This week I'm doing our master bathroom, bedroom and master closet. After that, all we will have left is the garage...yuck!

Anyway, yes, my kids look forward to the weekends, that's why we try to do all our work during the week...so our weekends are truly free and fun as a family. Good luck.