Harvard Says Chores Are Good for Kids, So Get Out the Chore Wheels

(iStock)

A Harvard study has just made my wildest dreams come true. After studying two groups of men for 75 years, the wicked smart researchers have concluded that chores are good for kids. If my grandmother were still alive, she’d roll her eyes and say, “See, I told you so!”

The Study of Adult Development followed two groups of men over the last seventy-five years. One group (referred to as the Grant Study) The Grant is composed of 268 Harvard graduates from the classes of 1939-1944, while the other group (referred to as the Glueck Study) is made up of 456 men who grew up in the inner-city neighborhoods of Boston. The researchers were particularly interested in “what psychosocial variables and biological processes from earlier in life predict health and well-being in late life (80s and 90s), what aspects of childhood and adult experience predict the quality of intimate relationships in late life, and how late life marriage is linked with health and well-being.”

The most significant finding from the study (as far as I’m concerned, at least) is that those who started doing chores at a young age experienced the most professional success.

dancing grandmas
giphy 

This teaches kids responsibility, and better equips them to do unpleasant or tedious tasks throughout their lives. Doing chores demonstrates to kids that they can work independently, and toward a goal that benefits more than just themselves. The best part? The younger the child starts, the better. I KNEW my three-year-old could be doing more around the house.

The study also discovered that the key to happiness in life is love. Making sure children know they are loved unconditionally allows them to grow into adults who then share love with others. I don’t know about you, but I’m taking this as a sign I can pay my children for their chores with love. Seriously, this is the best day ever!

Similar Posts