5 Chores Your Teens Should Be Doing This Summer

It’s summer, and most teenagers are enjoying their time away from school by sleeping in, goofing off, and just generally lazing around the house and doing nothing.  As parents, we know how unfair (not to mention annoying) this is. So it’s well past time to follow that time-honored American tradition of making the kids do chores, especially the ones you don’t want to do, and paying them for it.  Consider this before making them an offer:

-        How hard is the job, and how long will it take?  Is it something they’ll have to do every day, or something that will only be done once?

-        Do you have the tools available to let them get the job done safely?

-        Have they already committed to something else?  If your teen is actually spending their summer working a paying job, going to summer school, or otherwise accomplishing something, it’s worth going light on them.

As for motivation, cash is, of course, the traditional motivator.  Generally, for jobs around the house, the going rate for a small task is $3-$5, while a big task, like getting the lawn cleared, raking, or other heavy, time-consuming work is generally $10 or higher.  But if your teen is saving for a major purchase, like a game console or a car, consider offering them a package of chores and in exchange you’ll match what they’ve saved at the end of the summer.

Now, what should they do to earn that pay envelope?  Here are five ideas:

-        Cleaning the gutters. It’s an ideal job for a teenager, after all: slow, boring, messy, and time-consuming.  Also, it’ll teach them not to throw things in the gutter.  It’s also a one-time chore that allows you to set higher rewards.

-        Mowing the lawn. This is great for busy teens, as the lawn generally needs a mowing once or twice a month, not constant daily care.

-        Resealing the driveway. Driveway sealing is many things: hot, unpleasant, and likely to get you covered in black sludge.  In other words, it’s a job you want to do close to home.  It’s also fairly simple to do well, which is a definite bonus. Obviously this would cost you more than $10.

-        Painting the outside of the house. Need something painted?  A teen with free time can get the paint up and the job done, especially since it doesn’t require much finesse…just some painter’s tape and a little patience.

-        Cleaning the windows on the outside. Once again, it’s a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it.  If you live in a one-story house, you can just leave your teenager unsupervised and go do something else, like nap.

Remember, always be fair to your teenager and respect their time.  It may seem like they’re doing nothing (and they probably are), but they need to learn that chores are something rewarding, not something Dad annoys them with.  Unless they’re being brats, in which case, heap it on.

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