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Teen Chore Contracts - Update it For Fall

Teen chores and back to school time - they don't really seem to go together, do they? In fact, the first thing that might come to a teen's mind when they think about chores and school are that they get to do less of them since school's in session! And while that may be true in some sense, it doesn't have to mean that no chores will be done. Here are ideas on how to modify your teen chore contract for the fall season.

First, parents and teens need to sit down together and look at how the schedule is changing during the school year. Those changes can be due to starting high school, a tutoring job, playing sports or simply because school and homework take up time that was free in the summer. The important thing here is to be realistic and not overestimate free time.

Next, review the chores that have been done either during the past school year or during the summer. Are there ones that need to stay? Or are there ones that should be updated or changed out? For example, taking the trash to the curb has always been done by an adult due to the weight and bulk of the trash that needed to be hauled. But your teen grew three inches and put on some extra muscle during the summer. Suddenly, he's physically able to manage this task. It becomes a new option.

Remember that creating a new chore list is not just about adding chores. By the time the teen years roll around, that could mean that the chore list or chore contract is pages long! A better approach is to have age appropriate chores and to have them done accordingly. That means doing laundry instead of just sorting it AND making sure it is washed according to the directions without endless reminders.

Finally, agree on the teen chores to be done and update (or rewrite) the teen chore contract to get it in writing. This is an important step in making sure that everyone really does agree on what gets done and when. It will help iron out any of those little details and minimize the disagreements later on (even if it doesn't eliminate them).

After a month or so, sit back down to review how the updated chore contract is working - or not. If there have been big changes from last year, it may take more than one update to get the teen chore contract where it needs to be. And that's just fine. It is part of the process of everyone learning and pitching in to keep the house running smoothly.

Jennifer Peek is CPA and mother of two. She writes about all aspects of kids and money at her website where you can get more information on teen chore contracts at http://www.money-and-kids.com/teen-chore-contract.html

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