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6 WAYS TO TEACH CHILDREN TO VALUE EVERYBODY'S CONTRIBUTION IN HOMEMAKING


In the month of March where the world celebrate International Women's Day, Cactus Foundation highlights it's unique and crucial initiative of *Key to Change - Raise Responsible Boys* 


Empowering women is just one end of the spectrum to end gender based violence, another very important and ignored aspect of this fight is to raise males to step outside of the toxic standards set for them of looking at females as inferior to them. 


Key to Change suggests 12 Action Points that can be put to use by families and parents to Raise Responsible Boys. This blog post addresses in detail, action point no. 4



When we hear of the word ‘household’, ‘homemaking’, we unconsciously associate it to mothers or the first image that comes to our mind after hearing that word is a woman, a motherly figure. Even a child when asked gives the same answer. This clearly indicates our perception about homemaking tasks, which is generally the wrong perception that we have of roles associated with gender. It is perceived that it's solely the mother's responsibility to cook and take care of the house. Womens are centered on things around the home. And it's the men who go and earn money and decide how to spend it.


So here are different ways in which you can teach your child to value everyone's contribution in homemaking


  1. Explain scope, depth and importance of homemaking tasks to children

It's important to explain to your child the scope, depth and importance of homemaking tasks. Homemaking is not just about keeping the house clean. It's about making a home - a safe, comfortable and loving place for a family to live. Homemaking tasks include cooking, cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping, and many other things. They are all important in keeping a home running smoothly.

But homemaking tasks are far more than just doing your laundry and cleaning up. It involves planning meals, organizing finances, running errands, taking care of guests – all activities that play an essential role in maintaining a happy household environment. These skills will be useful in the later life of your child; when they develop careers or families of their own. Not only does learning how to manage the home will help teach your child organization skills but also encourages problem solving abilities as well as creative thinking abilities.

In addition to teaching practical and organizational skills, getting involved with chores around the house can have psychological benefits too such as boosting self-esteem by showing your child that their contributions matter within the family structure and even creating bonds between relatives if done together instead of alone. Most importantly however, fostering this mentality gives us assurance that we're not raising lazy people, rather responsible adults who understand what hard work means and come hand in hand with understanding gratitude better!

It should not have to feel like punishment but make it a laughing time while completing smaller tedious tasks i..e folding towels & stacking plates etc. This can be achieved through playful challenges like seeing how many folding bits you can do before the timer runs out etc,. Plus trying something new would keep interest alive when faced with other mundane routine duties ,this could prove fun too . By engaging your child from early on will let them learn lifelong valuable lessons about responsibility realistically whilst developing some beneficial practice beliefs along the way !


2. Both parents should take up/ contribute to homemaking tasks

It should come at no surprise that working mothers take on much more housework than fathers do. Mothers spend roughly twice significantly unpaid hours per day on activities such as child care and cooking compared to men . But there are ways where you as a father can step in too while still leaving room for Mom's continued efforts. You and your partner can split chores which can lead to higher levels of happiness overall due their shared responsibility with regards to domestic duties. It needs to be explained to your child that taking up some traditionally 'feminine' responsibilities shouldn’t just be simply viewed through gendered lenses. Your child needs to be taught that each role/task holds its own importance across family life and if applied together they offer an effective way towards fulfilling full-fledged support and respect to each other’s contribution in the house. 

So let’s make it happen: divide up everyday household tasks amongst yourselves so neither partner has too heavy load coming down hard upon them alone--laundry swapping days or starting off meal preps evenly spread over comes strongly recommended here


3.Recognize, be thankful and acknowledge both parents' contribution to the family as equally

During their growing years, children learn thought process, perceptions, notions and behaviors from their parents, which they then inherit and carry on for the rest of their lives. So for them to recognize the contribution that both the parents make towards the family as equals, parents have to lead by example. Acknowledge the contribution of your partner towards the family in front of your children. Acknowledge contribution in homemaking in a similar way as of bread earning. While the family acknowledges dad for going out for work and earning money, mom should be acknowledged with the same dignity and respect for homemaking. It is important for children to recognize homemaking tasks as "real work" So that they do not look down upon these tasks as well as a person (usually mother) who does them. 


4. Swap gender assigned roles/ contribution to homemaking/ family every now and then

We all know that men and women have different strengths and weaknesses. And while we tend to think of men as being the 'breadwinners' and women as the 'homemakers,' there's no reason why we can't swap gender roles every now and then. After all, it's good to mix things up and learn from each other.

There are many benefits to swapping gender roles every now and then. For one, it gives men a chance to experience what it's like to be a homemaker and women a chance to experience what it's like to be a breadwinner. This can help to create a more equal and understanding relationship between the two sexes. It can also help to build communication and teamwork skills.So next time you're feeling like you need a change, why not try swapping gender roles with your partner? 

 Nowadays, it is more and more essential that parents should embrace a model of egalitarianism in their relationships – including swapping out traditional gender-assigned roles and contributing to homemaking/family duties ever now and then! If you want to step away from rigid ideas on the “right way” to perform familial chores (cooking, cleaning, organizing) and instead work towards equality between yourself and your partner when it comes to these things AND share responsibilities without worrying who has traditionally been assigned what job.


5. Teach about homemaking to male children from a young age itself 

There's no shame in being a good homemaker - in fact, it's a skill worth teaching to everyone, regardless of gender. And yet, for some reason, society often expects homemaking to be a woman's domain. This is why it's so important to teach our male children from a young age that homemaking is a valuable skill for everyone to know.

You can start by teaching your child the basics of cleaning and cooking. But it's also important to instill a sense of pride in homemaking. Show your child that homemaking is a rewarding and worthwhile activity, and that it's something anyone can do.

With a little bit of patience and some good teaching, you can turn even the most reluctant of boys into a home

In this day and age, it’s time to break the dated stereotype that homemaking is only a woman's job. Your child should be encouraged — even from childhood — to learn valuable skills in home economics such as cooking nutritious meals, doing laundry, organizing their living space and general DIY around the house. Not only will these activities help your child equip with essential knowledge for later life but will also bring them practical benefits such as saving money on outsourcing tasks or being more self-sufficient during busy times.

Teaching your male child at an early age how to care for themselves and their homes makes both short term sense (being able to look after oneself) as well long-term sense too - helping young boys understand what healthy relationships involve when comes down striving for relationship equity between partners in an equal division of labor inside the household. Encouraging boys from an early age will inculcate in them values about mutual respect within family dynamics. It's important that your child are raised knowing there isn't just one way stated performing responsible adult duties; teaching boys basics inherent domestic roles fosters tendencies necessary challenge gender biases might confront through course lifetime.


6.Make it clear that skills of homemaking are life skills/ is adults taking their own responsibility

Adults taking responsibility for their lives is a challenge in our society. We have been taught that we need parents, bosses or bosses of bosses to make it happen. But sometimes it's true that we don't need anyone else to help us out with the daily decisions about how to get through our days. To make it easier for ourselves we should take more responsibility for ourselves and our children by looking into activities in homemaking, housekeeping and childcare which are life skills that everyone should know how to do.Homemaking is a valuable life skill. It's not just something that's reserved for women or for stay-at-home moms. And in a world where so many of us are struggling to find a work-life balance, homemaking skills can be a godsend.

Making it Clear that Homemaking Skills are Life SkillsHomemaking skills are often dismissed as simply being about cleaning and cooking, for example. And in the current climate of fast-paced lives, children rarely understand why learning these tasks is so important. Homemaking skills should be taught to people of all ages as a life skill — not just relegated to women or home chores.

It’s true that knowing how to clean your own house will always come in handy and provide security if you ever find yourself with no other option but to do it yourself; knowing how to cook healthy food can both save money on restaurants or takeaways and promote healthier eating habits; staying organized saves time otherwise wasted looking for things like keys or wallet that get left behind elsewhere…the list goes on! These lessons are invaluable experience and knowledge anyone can carry throughout their entire lives. The importance of doing our fair share at home may sometimes go unrecognized by those who live outside its walls.



CONCLUSION

So whether you’re an adult now taking responsibility (finally!)for figuring out what dinner looks like tonight while being busy with work during the day or parenting kids already halfway through elementary school – reminding ourselves every once in awhile of these valuable life skills would likely prove beneficial later downline - even more so,than any kind of privilege our young ones have been given today like rich schools, sports clubs or going abroad at this global pandemic era! Aspire now form instead lasting values in upbringing everyone under roof..await they maybe boys / girls ,young toddlers/ teenagers ...we all need encouragement to be part skilled household team giving back each daily living activities...!! Let's start practicing homemaking as a parent & child collective effort. Let's make doing homemaking tasks look cool and balanced!!


Watch this video by Cactus Founder Director, Nusrat Khan talking about the Action Point no. 4

https://youtu.be/zK4w3G8355g