# What chores did you have while growing up at various ages?



## RadishRose (Feb 18, 2017)

(these thoughts are inspired by Ruth n Jersey's post about her mother airing out the house)

Aside from the universal picking up after one's self, like many little girls I remember trying to help with laundry by folding the wash coths and dish towels, also trying to help dust the furniture I could reach; ie- the coffee table. I would hand clothes-pins to my mother while she hung out the laundry.

Later, the real chores started; setting the table, clearing the table, drying the dishes, then washing AND drying the dishes, washing down the stove and fridge every night. Mostly everything was kitchen and food related like helping to put away the groceries and salad making. I didn't consider helping to cook to be a chore; I enjoyed that.

Then there was dusting and using that old "carpet sweeper" between the vacuuming either my mother or sometimes my father did, weekly.  My father always took out the trash and did yard work but I had to help rake leaves if he could find me.

I was also expected to take my bike to the small, local store for a few items mom had run out of and needed to finish making supper. I hated doing that because I had to drop everything. Sometimes I pretended I didn't hear her calling me.

One time, I flat out refused to go to the store my mother's demand. She promptly asked one of the other kids I was playing with to go, and she went. My mother rewarded her with a big handful of coins! The next night, my father told me in the future, "if I knew what was good for me", I would go to the store anytime my mother told me to. Ok, I did, but for quite some time it seemed every kid in the neighborhood was ringing our bell and asking my mother if she needed anything from the store.

I guess chores were different for the boys. Maybe like car-washing, lawn mowing and what else did you guys do, anyway? I never had a brother and the brothers of my friends didn't seem to do much else that I could see. Unless maybe they lived on a farm, which no one I knew did, since first grade.


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## Falcon (Feb 18, 2017)

Shoveling the snow; mowing the lawn,  keeping my room clean and tidy etc.

Oh,  And eating every carrot and pea on my plate.............WAIT!   Let me reword that.


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## Deucemoi (Feb 18, 2017)

mmmm, gee this is a tough one....
up until 10 maybe garbage. 
10-13 mow lawn, garbage, rake leaves, clean my room, make bed, mop floors...
13-15 chop fire wood, drive jeep into woods pull logs back to ranch house, saw into blocks with chain saw, feed/water livestock, buck/stack hay bales, weed garden, etc etc...
15-18 all of the above plus wash/dry dishes, help build house, help make repairs on vehicles, help dad in floor covering business by laying tile, linoleum.
18 I'm outta here to military service, where I washed dishes, mop decks, make my bunk, stand watches etc
now at 69 I wash/dry dishes, make bed, mop floor, vacuum, feed pets etc,


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## NancyNGA (Feb 18, 2017)

The only ones I can remember, on a regular basis, were ironing, mowing the lawn (1/2 acre), and taking out the garbage/trash. The latter meant taking stuff to the back of the yard and tossing out organic and putting other things in a burn barrel. 

No brothers and sisters, so there wasn't as much to do as some households had.    I had it pretty easy, I admit it.


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## Aunt Bea (Feb 18, 2017)

My mother and stepfather both worked so my sister and I did most of the work around the house from 5th or 6th grade on.  I cooked dinner, set the table and did the dishes during the week, my sister did the dusting, vacuuming, cleaned the bathroom, etc..., my sister and I each did our own laundry and took care of our rooms.  To this day I would rather cook than clean and my sister would rather clean than cook!


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## SeaBreeze (Feb 18, 2017)

I don't remember the age, but I helped dust furniture, wash windows (inside only), wash dishes, set and clear table, clean bathroom and bathtub, pick up items from the corner store, help with preparation of some meals with supervision.


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## Susie (Feb 18, 2017)

Starting at age 7, my mother forced me to mop the kitchen floor, clean the bathroom, wash the dishes. scrub the outside cement steps. and more; also look after my baby brother the minute I got home from school!
I escaped as soon as possible, never went back!
:woohoo1:


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## jujube (Feb 18, 2017)

I had my turn at washing the dishes and ironing simple things.  Babysitting my younger sisters was my big job.  Saturday morning was chore time and if we wanted to go anywhere the rest of the weekend, we'd better be home in the morning and ready to work.  Washing walls and woodwork, sweeping, laundry were a few things I was expected to help with.  Don't get me wrong....my mother was not a slavedriver and exceptions were made to the Saturday morning work brigade if there was a good reason.  I'm sure I was only a martyr in my own mind. 

The only thing I hated with a passion was working in the garden.  My parents always had a huge garden and sometimes leased a garden a few blocks away.  I despised the hoeing and weeding and picking.....it was hot and itchy and I got dirty.  Then, when everything ripened, there was the canning and freezing and preserving.  I will admit that I DID appreciate the fruits of those labors; I'd give a lot to have some of my mom's good canned and frozen food and jellies.


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## Ruth n Jersey (Feb 18, 2017)

I feel very guilty about this now but I really didn't have any chores except drying the dishes. As a teen I kept my room clean. I did help rake leaves only because I enjoyed it and my dad worked such long hours I did mow the grass for him because I wanted to.. I asked my Mom years later why she didn't give me chores and she said, since I was the only one, and she didn't work outside the home there was no need for me to help. Wrong attitude, but in later years I tried to help them out as much as possible and let them know everything they did for me was much appreciated. I wasn't spoiled and didn't get everything I wanted but they just didn't think chores was that important. I guess I followed in their footsteps because I didn't give my kids much in the line of chores either and I always did have a part time job.  They turned out to be fine responsible adults and also are now helping me out from time to time and I know they will always be there for me.  If I had it to do over I think I would give them chores to teach them responsibility. I could have ended up with irresponsible slobs for kids.


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## Butterfly (Feb 19, 2017)

Aunt Bea said:


> My mother and stepfather both worked so my sister and I did most of the work around the house from 5th or 6th grade on.  I cooked dinner, set the table and did the dishes during the week, my sister did the dusting, vacuuming, cleaned the bathroom, etc..., my sister and I each did our own laundry and took care of our rooms.  To this day I would rather cook than clean and my sister would rather clean than cook!



I'd a heck of a lot rather cook than clean!!


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## Butterfly (Feb 19, 2017)

SeaBreeze said:


> I don't remember the age, but I helped dust furniture, wash windows (inside only), wash dishes, set and clear table, clean bathroom and bathtub, pick up items from the corner store, help with preparation of some meals with supervision.



I did pretty much the same stuff, SB; I also put away groceries and vacuumed, and did part of the ironing -- there was a lot more ironing back then.


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## Kitties (Feb 19, 2017)

I think we had to do too much. Extensive cleaning. I don't know, I'm not interested in thinking about it too much. All I know is I'll never clean a floor on my hands and knees like I had to do as a kid.


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## Timetrvlr (Feb 19, 2017)

As a farm boy, my chores were a bit different. As soon as I was old enough, I was expected to milk and feed the cow morning and night, chop firewood every day in winter, make my bed, vacuum when asked, hoe in the extensive garden, do the plowing with the tractor, mend the fences, etc. In short, I was expected to be a contributing family member.


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## Buckeye (Feb 19, 2017)

I don't remember doing chores as a kid.  I probably did a few but apparently nothing was routinely assigned.  And by the time I got into junior & senior high, 3 sports took up most of my time after school, etc.  I guess I was lucky.

Thanks Mom.


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## Victor Meldrew (Feb 19, 2017)

Mowing the lawn and helping with the dishes occasionally.

Also, because my dad drove 120+ miles r/t to work everyday, when I turned 16 I used to "have to" (I begged for the privilege) drive his car up to his preferred gas station about 4 miles from the house every Sunday - Thursday evening, to fill the gas tank.

He had a '73 VW Beetle back then and with gas at around 37.9¢ per gallon, $2 got him the half tank he used each day.

Plus, I usually got some change back, which I got to keep for my "trouble". 

Dad liked it because he didn't have to get up and drag his tired butt down there and I loved it because I got to get out and drive by myself!!!

Win - win!!!


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## Sassycakes (Feb 19, 2017)

I remember a few chores I did as a child. My sister and I rotated every night which of us would wash the dishes and which one would dry them. I would dust the furniture and my Sister would run the errands like going to the store. Then when I was 6yrs old my brother got out of the army and he moved in with us with his wife and infant son. At that point I became "Auntie" and from then on as soon as I would come home from school the only words I heard my sister-in-law say was "Auntie will do it." They lived with us five years and I was the full time baby watcher when ever I was home. I have to admit though that I loved taking care of my nephew.


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## Aunt Marg (May 1, 2020)

Really fun topic, Radish!

The things I did from day-to-day helping out around the house were never chores per se, but rather a reflection of my willingness to pitch-in and do whatever I could do, because it always made me feel grown-up.

One thing I really loved was helping mom with the washing, and in the early years mom used a wringer washing machine. She washed and fed the washables through the rollers, and I caught all that exited the rollers, ensuring that all landed in the basket. I was really young when I started, around age 2-3, and I remember holding and passing clothespins to mom as she hung all on the line.

Vacuuming was another job my mom allowed me to do starting at a really young age, and to me that was the easiest job of all.

Having baby siblings in the home, I was forever helping my mom with them, fetching clean diapers for her, holding the safety pins for her at changing-time, taking the wet and dirty diapers to the bathroom to put in the diaper pail, helping with the folding of the diapers, helping hold a bottle at feeding time, and doing the burping for her so she could tackle something else in-between. I was still really young at the time, around age 5-6.

However, at age 8, all changed exponentially, for I had watched mom do so much from the time I was so young, working alongside her every step of the way, with mom explaining to me (step-by-step) what it was that she was doing, and showing me how it was done, so no longer was I a simple mother's helper, but instead, I was the extra set of hands in the home through the day when my mothers hands were too busy.

Suddenly, it was me making the rounds (just like my mom used to do), checking and changing diapers, hanging laundry, taking laundry down off the line and folding it, I was ironing, even making and warming the babies bottles (stovetop method in a pot of water), and helping mom with dishes was my favourite. Mom washed, I dried, and what great conversations we'd have.

It was around the same time mom started leaving me in charge for short bursts so she could run to the store for milk, cigarettes, and whatever else needed doing, and by age 10, I was babysitting my siblings all on my own, with Friday nights being the official babysitting night for me. Mom and dad would do their weekly grocery-shop on Friday nights, and coffee-time was tied into it, so Friday nights I held the fort down.

What great old memories!


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## C'est Moi (May 1, 2020)

I never had any chores as a kid.  My brother had to mow the grass but I don't remember having to do anything at all until my teenage years when I kept my room tidy.  I'm the youngest so no little siblings to babysit.  I did make an occasional run to the store on my bike, but that's about it.


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## Aunt Marg (May 1, 2020)

C'est Moi said:


> I never had any chores as a kid.  My brother had to mow the grass but I don't remember having to do anything at all until my teenage years when I kept my room tidy.  I'm the youngest so no little siblings to babysit.  I did make an occasional run to the store on my bike, but that's about it.


Oh yes, I remember well, the trips to the store for mom on my bike, and on foot, to get her a package of cigarettes, a carton of milk, or whatever it was that was in need of, and I remember she had a deal going with the store owner, where if she needed something and didn't have the money, the owner would run a small tab for her and on payday my mom would square up with the owner. 

On good trips to the store, sometimes there would be change leftover from the purchase, and enjoying a popsicle on the way home or an ice cold pop was the greatest treat of all.


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## C'est Moi (May 1, 2020)

Aunt Marg said:


> Oh yes, I remember well, the trips to the store for mom on my bike, and on foot, to get her a package of cigarettes, a carton of milk, or whatever it was that was in need of, and I remember she had a deal going with the store owner, where if she needed something and didn't have the money, the owner would run a small tab for her and on payday my mom would square up with the owner.
> 
> On good trips to the store, sometimes there would be change leftover from the purchase, and enjoying a popsicle on the way home or an ice cold pop was the greatest treat of all.


Same here.  And can you imagine the pearl-clutching that would go on today if a 10 year old could walk into a store and buy a pack of Camels?   I did it plenty of times.


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## Aunt Marg (May 1, 2020)

C'est Moi said:


> Same here.  And can you imagine the pearl-clutching that would go on today if a 10 year old could walk into a store and buy a pack of Camels?   I did it plenty of times.


I can't imagine, with all of the age laws nowadays, I don't think such a feat would be possibly in today's day and age anymore.


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## Sassycakes (May 1, 2020)

*I remembered another thing I did growing up. When I was about 12yrs old I would iron my 5 school blouses and my uniform. My older sisters job was going to the store. While she was at the store I would iron her 5 blouses and uniform.My sister loved going to the store. She would also (when my Mom wasn't looking) take out of my soup Lima Beans that I hated. She was even nice enough to eat my ice-cream because when I was young I hated ice-cream.*


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## Pink Biz (May 1, 2020)

*I didn't have any assigned chores but would help dry the dishes when we had company over, which was often. And I'd set the dining room table for holiday dinners.  I liked to iron my dad's handkerchiefs and would hand him tools when he puttered around in his basement workshop.*


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## Aunt Marg (Dec 26, 2020)

Here is another job I regularly did for my mom... grind dried bread into bread crumbs using one of these!


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## Marie5656 (Dec 27, 2020)

*I was always chored with washing the dishes after dinner. Actually did not mind. In the fall, I raked leaves. Often shoveled some, but my dad had a snow blower..which I was not allowed to use.  I would help mom with housekeeping, dusting, vaccuming. Had to keep my room clean too.
Started doing my own laundry at about 12 or so...the ladies may understand not wanting mom to see the embarassing stains on undies each month. *


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## Repondering (Dec 27, 2020)

I was the mousetrap operator.  At about age 12 I was laundry officer.  I became the cook then too.


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## Aunt Marg (Dec 27, 2020)

Repondering said:


> I was the mousetrap operator.  At about age 12 I was laundry officer.  I became the cook then too.


Kraft Dinner and beans-and-wieners?


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## Repondering (Dec 27, 2020)

Aunt Marg said:


> Kraft Dinner and beans-and-wieners?


At age 12, fried chicken & mashed potatoes;  pot roast;  tuna casserole.
By age 14, chicken bolognese; lasagna; and we still liked roast beef.

OK?


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## Kathleen’s Place (Dec 27, 2020)

We did the usual household chores, dusting, making our beds, cleaning the bathrooms, washing and drying dishes, ironing the simple stuff, keeping our rooms cleaned. But the the one job I hated...detested among all others...was the kitchen table and chairs. It was the old formica top with chrome legs from the 50’s.  Every week we (my sister and I ) had to wash those damn table and six chairs legs with hot soap and water, then dry them and god forbid they would show a water spot! . And we didn’t receive allowances...this was just expected, and I don’t ever remember making a fuss over it. When our chores were done, the rest of the day was ours. My brother did (or helped) with the shoveling, lawn mowing...any outside stuff, plus he helped with dishes every once in awhile.


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## MarciKS (Dec 28, 2020)

RadishRose said:


> (these thoughts are inspired by Ruth n Jersey's post about her mother airing out the house)
> 
> Aside from the universal picking up after one's self, like many little girls I remember trying to help with laundry by folding the wash coths and dish towels, also trying to help dust the furniture I could reach; ie- the coffee table. I would hand clothes-pins to my mother while she hung out the laundry.
> 
> ...


At age 11 I was expected to vacuum...dust and pick up my room. If I left a pair of shoes out mom threatened to throw them away. My brother at 11 played with his toys and just pulled up the covers on his bed and that was good enough.

my teen years were spent doing dishes and fussing about it.


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## Aneeda72 (Dec 28, 2020)

MarciKS said:


> At age 11 I was expected to vacuum...dust and pick up my room. If I left a pair of shoes out mom threatened to throw them away. My brother at 11 played with his toys and just pulled up the covers on his bed and that was good enough.
> 
> my teen years were spent doing dishes and fussing about it.


I did this over the summer with my husband.  He kept leaving his shoes where I could trip on them.  After asking him a million times to put them away, and he didn’t, I threw them away.  They were his favorite shoes and he had a second pair.  He keeps his second pair put away.


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## Aunt Marg (Dec 28, 2020)

Kathleen’s Place said:


> We did the usual household chores, dusting, making our beds, cleaning the bathrooms, washing and drying dishes, ironing the simple stuff, keeping our rooms cleaned. But the the one job I hated...detested among all others...was the kitchen table and chairs. It was the old formica top with chrome legs from the 50’s.  Every week we (my sister and I ) had to wash those damn table and six chairs legs with hot soap and water, then dry them and god forbid they would show a water spot! . And we didn’t receive allowances...this was just expected, and I don’t ever remember making a fuss over it. When our chores were done, the rest of the day was ours. My brother did (or helped) with the shoveling, lawn mowing...any outside stuff, plus he helped with dishes every once in awhile.


I remember those old vintage chrome-legged tables with hard surface tops so well!

They lasted forever, could be used to rollout dough when baking, and no fussing was needed when wiping them down after a meal, and yes, the chrome legs in our house were always finger-printed up!


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## Elsie (Dec 28, 2020)

Sister & I occasionally argued over who's turn it was to wash dinner dishes and who's turn is was to towel dry them.  She & I cleaned our apartment home & one day Mother told me my sister cleaned faster but I cleaned better.  .


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## HoneyNut (Dec 28, 2020)

My sister and I cleaned the house once a week.  I cooked dinner a lot once I was old enough.  Originally my brother, sister, and I washed the dishes together, but after the time I got upset with them and turned the hot water sprayer on them, I didn't have to wash dishes anymore and instead I was put in charge of the family laundry.  Oddly my parents didn't see any need to spend money on a washer/dryer, so every week they'd drop me off at the laundromat with all the laundry and a small treasure of coins.  I loved doing the laundry, I'd take a book and there was a popcorn machine, so I had a very enjoyable time each week.
One of the chores my mother had as a child (which I know about because she complained about it resentfully til virtually her dying day) was killing chickens.  I am so glad we don't have to kill our own food anymore.  I had a coworker also a long time ago that was very resentful about having had to be the one to kill the hogs when he was a boy, tho his resentment seemed to be mostly about the danger his parents put him in to do it.
My only animal chore was feeding the dog, that was a nice chore.


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## Aunt Marg (Dec 28, 2020)

HoneyNut said:


> My sister and I cleaned the house once a week.  I cooked dinner a lot once I was old enough.  Originally my brother, sister, and I washed the dishes together, but after the time I got upset with them and turned the hot water sprayer on them, I didn't have to wash dishes anymore and instead I was put in charge of the family laundry.  Oddly my parents didn't see any need to spend money on a washer/dryer, so every week they'd drop me off at the laundromat with all the laundry and a small treasure of coins.  I loved doing the laundry, I'd take a book and there was a popcorn machine, so I had a very enjoyable time each week.
> One of the chores my mother had as a child (which I know about because she complained about it resentfully til virtually her dying day) was killing chickens.  I am so glad we don't have to kill our own food anymore.  I had a coworker also a long time ago that was very resentful about having had to be the one to kill the hogs when he was a boy, tho his resentment seemed to be mostly about the danger his parents put him in to do it.
> My only animal chore was feeding the dog, that was a nice chore.


Just love the Laundromat story, HoneyNut! 

I'm with you on killing our own food. Not for me either.


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