Reading time: 6 minutes
Suitable for: Families with teenagers and older children
What does ‘in a minute’ actually mean? The reason we ask is because parents and carers say this phrase all the time and it seems to mean…no!
- ‘Can you unload the dishwasher, please?’
- ‘In a minute.’
- ‘Would you mind taking the washing upstairs, please?’
- ‘In a minute.’
- ‘Could you set the table for tea, please?’
- ‘In a minute.’
Sound familiar? If we had a pound for every time teenagers muttered those words (usually from the depths of their rooms or hidden behind a phone screen), we'd be millionaires!
Of course, we adore our children (they are funny, caring, silly, bright and loving) but it can be utterly exasperating trying to get your teen helping around the house, and more often than not, we end up doing the chore ourselves. It just feels easier.
When chores become a battleground
When our children are very young, we do pretty much everything for them, simply because they can’t to do things for themselves: we get them dressed, prepare their meals, do their washing, brush their teeth, and so on.
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