Telha
Teaching children the value of doing household chores, such as laundry, is crucial. The earlier they start, the better they learn these essential life skills. However, some parents may overindulge their children, which, combined with negative influences, can lead to a sense of entitlement toward what parents do for them.
The father had just returned home when he found his son angrily yelling at his mother for not doing his laundry, demanding to know how hard it could be. He explains that his wife is a full-time teacher who works tirelessly both at her job and in maintaining the household, while he also helps out with various chores. To teach his son a lesson, he took him to the laundry room, showed him how to do it, and had him complete the task himself. But that was just the beginning.
Laundry Was Only the Start
This incident made the father realize that his son needed to understand the full extent of daily chores. He came up with a plan:
“My son needs to face some consequences, and I thought of the best way to handle it. I’m sending my wife on a spring break trip to Mexico with her friends while I work from home and look after the kids. It shouldn’t be too difficult, as I’ll be putting the older one in charge of his younger sibling. He’ll be responsible for laundry, making breakfast and lunch for both of them, and keeping the kitchen and dining room clean.”
When his son complained that it was unfair to make him work during spring break, the father asked if he thought these tasks were the equivalent of a full-time job. The son said yes, and the father pointed out that both he and his wife manage full-time jobs and still do all the chores his son was complaining about.
The younger sibling, 10 years old, wasn’t much help either. The older brother, unwilling to comply, turned to his grandmother for support:
“He called my mom to see if he could stay at her place for spring break. She said I was being too harsh on her ‘poor baby.’ I asked her what she would have done if I’d yelled at her for not doing my laundry when I was young. She said it was a different time. I told her he could stay with her only if she was willing to tell him, in front of me, all the punishments I received when I lived at home. She decided he couldn’t stay.”
Was This Really the Best Approach?
Although many agree the father was right, some believe there could have been a better way to teach his son the importance of doing chores like laundry. Most Reddit users sided with the father, labeling him NTA (Not the A**hole), but some shared additional concerns:
“NTA, but besides having him learn the household tasks your wife usually handles, you should also investigate where this behavior came from. Is he listening to bad influences online? How could he possibly think yelling at his mother over laundry was acceptable?”
—u/miyuki_m
Another NTA comment suggested a more instructive approach:
“Consider approaching this from an educational perspective rather than purely punitive. Make it a learning experience, ensuring he understands the expectations with laundry and how to complete the tasks properly. He might need guidance with meal preparation and assistance with more complex tasks.”
—u/Keen_eyed_Emissary
However, some users criticized the decision to put the older brother in charge of the younger one:
“YTA for adding an unnecessary task. Why does the younger son deserve this? When kids are put in charge of their siblings, especially at that age, it can lead to power struggles. You’ve put your 12-year-old ‘in charge’ while your younger child, who is also capable of doing chores, is left out. You could give both of them a set of age-appropriate tasks instead.”
—u/Tulipsarered
This imbalance could risk harming the siblings’ relationship. A more thoughtful approach might have been to teach both children the importance of contributing to household chores. What do you think the father should have done? Share your thoughts in the comments!
