Chores
I believe everyone in a family should pitch in and help out. I ask my kids to load their dishes into the dishwasher, to help their dad if he is outside working in the yard and to keep their rooms clean (whether they follow through on these things independently is another story – teenagers are tricky).
Elementary school kids are significantly easier. They love to be good helpers and they jump in willingly and happily – just look at the smiles Mikey gives the camera.
Although I usually tried to have my kids do just a couple of chores in a day, sometimes, if Will needed quiet to work on homework or to read, I would do several in a row with Mikey. It would keep him relatively quiet and engaged in something positive while his brother got a little time to himself.
However you do it, get the kids involved in chores when they’re young. It will get trickier as they get older so you may as well take the happy help while you can get it. Teenage help has been known to come with free sighs and eye rolls. LOL
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About the Author
Erica Mauro is a mom to two teenage boys, Will who is neurotypical and Michael with Autism and cognitive delays. She holds a BA in Psychology from Colgate University and a Masters of Psychology in Education from Columbia Teacher’s College. Before staying home with her children, she worked as an elementary school teacher. For five years, she served on the Board of Directors of the Molly Ann Tango Memorial Foundation, a charity dedicated to enriching the lives of children with special needs. In partnership with her husband Dave, she aspires to parent by using daily life as an opportunity for therapeutic intervention, seizing on real experiences as opportunities to build skills and strategies for Michael in a joyful, loving home environment. On the tougher early days, she just tried to get everyone safely to bedtime and start fresh in the morning. *wink* 
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