What chores did you have while growing up at various ages?

We did the usual household chores, dusting, making our beds, cleaning the bathrooms, washing and drying dishes, ironing the simple stuff, keeping our rooms cleaned. But the the one job I hated...detested among all others...was the kitchen table and chairs. It was the old formica top with chrome legs from the 50’s. Every week we (my sister and I ) had to wash those damn table and six chairs legs with hot soap and water, then dry them and god forbid they would show a water spot! 😂. And we didn’t receive allowances...this was just expected, and I don’t ever remember making a fuss over it. When our chores were done, the rest of the day was ours. My brother did (or helped) with the shoveling, lawn mowing...any outside stuff, plus he helped with dishes every once in awhile.
 
RadishRose said:
(these thoughts are inspired by Ruth n Jersey's post about her mother airing out the house)

Aside from the universal picking up after one's self, like many little girls I remember trying to help with laundry by folding the wash coths and dish towels, also trying to help dust the furniture I could reach; ie- the coffee table. I would hand clothes-pins to my mother while she hung out the laundry.

Later, the real chores started; setting the table, clearing the table, drying the dishes, then washing AND drying the dishes, washing down the stove and fridge every night. Mostly everything was kitchen and food related like helping to put away the groceries and salad making. I didn't consider helping to cook to be a chore; I enjoyed that.

Then there was dusting and using that old "carpet sweeper" between the vacuuming either my mother or sometimes my father did, weekly. My father always took out the trash and did yard work but I had to help rake leaves if he could find me.

I was also expected to take my bike to the small, local store for a few items mom had run out of and needed to finish making supper. I hated doing that because I had to drop everything. Sometimes I pretended I didn't hear her calling me.

One time, I flat out refused to go to the store my mother's demand. She promptly asked one of the other kids I was playing with to go, and she went. My mother rewarded her with a big handful of coins! The next night, my father told me in the future, "if I knew what was good for me", I would go to the store anytime my mother told me to. Ok, I did, but for quite some time it seemed every kid in the neighborhood was ringing our bell and asking my mother if she needed anything from the store.

I guess chores were different for the boys. Maybe like car-washing, lawn mowing and what else did you guys do, anyway? I never had a brother and the brothers of my friends didn't seem to do much else that I could see. Unless maybe they lived on a farm, which no one I knew did, since first grade.
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At age 11 I was expected to vacuum...dust and pick up my room. If I left a pair of shoes out mom threatened to throw them away. My brother at 11 played with his toys and just pulled up the covers on his bed and that was good enough.

my teen years were spent doing dishes and fussing about it.
 
MarciKS said:
At age 11 I was expected to vacuum...dust and pick up my room. If I left a pair of shoes out mom threatened to throw them away. My brother at 11 played with his toys and just pulled up the covers on his bed and that was good enough.

my teen years were spent doing dishes and fussing about it.
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I did this over the summer with my husband. He kept leaving his shoes where I could trip on them. After asking him a million times to put them away, and he didn’t, I threw them away. They were his favorite shoes and he had a second pair. He keeps his second pair put away. 😂
 
Kathleen’s Place said:
We did the usual household chores, dusting, making our beds, cleaning the bathrooms, washing and drying dishes, ironing the simple stuff, keeping our rooms cleaned. But the the one job I hated...detested among all others...was the kitchen table and chairs. It was the old formica top with chrome legs from the 50’s. Every week we (my sister and I ) had to wash those damn table and six chairs legs with hot soap and water, then dry them and god forbid they would show a water spot! 😂. And we didn’t receive allowances...this was just expected, and I don’t ever remember making a fuss over it. When our chores were done, the rest of the day was ours. My brother did (or helped) with the shoveling, lawn mowing...any outside stuff, plus he helped with dishes every once in awhile.
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I remember those old vintage chrome-legged tables with hard surface tops so well!

They lasted forever, could be used to rollout dough when baking, and no fussing was needed when wiping them down after a meal, and yes, the chrome legs in our house were always finger-printed up! :)
 
Sister & I occasionally argued over who's turn it was to wash dinner dishes and who's turn is was to towel dry them. She & I cleaned our apartment home & one day Mother told me my sister cleaned faster but I cleaned better. :D .
 
My sister and I cleaned the house once a week. I cooked dinner a lot once I was old enough. Originally my brother, sister, and I washed the dishes together, but after the time I got upset with them and turned the hot water sprayer on them, I didn't have to wash dishes anymore and instead I was put in charge of the family laundry. Oddly my parents didn't see any need to spend money on a washer/dryer, so every week they'd drop me off at the laundromat with all the laundry and a small treasure of coins. I loved doing the laundry, I'd take a book and there was a popcorn machine, so I had a very enjoyable time each week.
One of the chores my mother had as a child (which I know about because she complained about it resentfully til virtually her dying day) was killing chickens. I am so glad we don't have to kill our own food anymore. I had a coworker also a long time ago that was very resentful about having had to be the one to kill the hogs when he was a boy, tho his resentment seemed to be mostly about the danger his parents put him in to do it.
My only animal chore was feeding the dog, that was a nice chore.
 
HoneyNut said:
My sister and I cleaned the house once a week. I cooked dinner a lot once I was old enough. Originally my brother, sister, and I washed the dishes together, but after the time I got upset with them and turned the hot water sprayer on them, I didn't have to wash dishes anymore and instead I was put in charge of the family laundry. Oddly my parents didn't see any need to spend money on a washer/dryer, so every week they'd drop me off at the laundromat with all the laundry and a small treasure of coins. I loved doing the laundry, I'd take a book and there was a popcorn machine, so I had a very enjoyable time each week.
One of the chores my mother had as a child (which I know about because she complained about it resentfully til virtually her dying day) was killing chickens. I am so glad we don't have to kill our own food anymore. I had a coworker also a long time ago that was very resentful about having had to be the one to kill the hogs when he was a boy, tho his resentment seemed to be mostly about the danger his parents put him in to do it.
My only animal chore was feeding the dog, that was a nice chore.
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Just love the Laundromat story, HoneyNut! 🍿

I'm with you on killing our own food. Not for me either.
 

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