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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, October 24, 2014 | 14 A Why parents should be making their kids do chores pparently, it's become too big of a chore for parents to get their kids to do chores. According to a recent survey, 82 per cent of adults polled by Whirlpool were regularly expected to do chores when they were kids, while only 28 per cent of today's parents demand the same of their pampered progeny. This, despite the fact 63 per cent of those surveyed believe chores teach kids valuable life lessons and a whopping 75 per cent think chores help make kids more responsible. Interestingly enough, only ve per cent (known collectively as `The Pushovers') believe no bene ts are derived from having kids help out at home. Well, since we're doing the math, let's examine the possible reasons why fewer parents are demanding (asking, cajoling, begging) their kids to do chores. According to the survey, 13 per cent of respondents said their offspring will indeed do chores, but only for pay -- and apparently, "the roof over your head, the clothes on your back, and the food on the table" no longer count as more-than-reasonable remuneration. Thirty-seven per cent said their kids just try to negotiate their way out of their chores while 43 per cent moan, whine and complain about the assigned work. And that, dear readers, is the rub. It's not that parents are stupid -- I don't think they're unaware of how important it is for children to help out around the house and gain that sense of responsibility , commitment and accomplishment, it's just that they no longer have the time, the patience, or the backbone to actually get these petit procrastinators to actually do anything. Or, as writer Heidi Stevens so pithily proclaimed in The Chicago Tribune, "We are loath to ask our kids to pull their weight around the house. Or, maybe we just loathe asking over and over. And over." Still, facts are facts. There's no denying that chores are good for kids. According to Richard Rende, one of the developmental psychologists who worked on the survey: "Chores have a lot of short-term and long-term developmental bene ts in terms of academic and social success." That's Life Andy Juniper Guest Contributor Buying? Selling? Re-financing? GOLD Call me for a quote at 905-845-0767 ext. 222 1276 Cornwall Road, Unit C, Oakville Ontario, L6J 7W5 www.haxelllaw.com · lawyers@haxelllaw.com T: 905-845-0767 · F: 905-845-5552 Personal Professional Service at Competitive Rates While another expert noted, "chores build grit." And, of course, kids need a load of grit to get ahead in our gritty world. And what else can chores do for a kid? Well, here we turn to the movie Uncle Buck, the classic John Hughes/John Candy collaboration. In case you haven't seen this gem, Candy's avuncular character comes to babysit his brother's brood, his nieces and nephew. Mid-movie, there's a wonderful scene in which nephew Miles, pricelessly portrayed by Macaulay Culkin, is standing on a stool washing dishes when his mom phones and asks the young boy what he's up to. "Earning my keep," he says. "Uncle Buck's got me bustin' my hump. He says a little hard work will put some hair on my chest...." Chores. Earning your keep. Bustin' your hump for the greater good of the household. Some hair on your chest. Hey, it's all good. -- Andy Juniper can be contacted at ajjuniper@gmail.com, Facebook and Twitter @thesportjesters. Create your dream Crea h t a B r o n e h Kitc F n o I t a l l a t s n I e e r expIres nov. 30/2014 expIres oFFer 0 2014 nov. 3 / Free InstallatIon oFFer 20 years experIenCe | QualIty CraFtsmanshIp | Custom desIgns Call for a Free Estimate #585 Leather Lined in Rustic Brown also available in Rustic Black That's s all it takes. Just one pair of Blundstone boots will make you a fan for life. No laces. All season. Long wearing. Go anywhere. Spine and joint sparing. So comfortable that ­ surprise! You end up with two pairs. 905-844-3332 Visit our showroom: 333 Wyecroft Rd. Unit 3, Oakville www.aromakitchens.ca