Last year, a 22-year-old mother from Michigan, USA, was harshly criticized for posting photos on the internet showing her son doing housework, from cleaning to cooking. Her name is Nikkole Paulun, she raises her two children alone, 7-year-old Lyle and one-and-a-half-year-old Ellie.
Nikkole works hard to take care of her children and at the same time takes care to be a good example for them. To teach them to be productive members of society, who know how to mow the grass, to wash their own clothes, to cook for themselves.
Here is how the woman explained when she started being criticized:
“I teach my son to cook & do household chores. Why? Because household work isn’t just for women. Because one day he might be a single man, living on his own, who will actually know how to do laundry & not eat take out every night. Because one day he might want to impress a significant other with a meal cooked by his own hands. Because one day when he has kids & a spouse, he’s going to need to do his fair share around the home. Because I leave in a generation of people who complain that school didn’t teach us how to cook, do laundry, tie a tie, or pay taxes. Because teaching my son how to do these things and be a productive member of society both outside the home and inside, starts with ME. Because it’s ok to let your child be a child but still teach them lifelong lessons along the way. My son will never be too “manly” to cook or do chores. He will be the kind of man who can come inside from changing a tire to check on his pot roast. Who can properly sort his laundry and mow the lawn too. Remember parents, a man who believes he shouldn’t have to cook or do chores was once a boy who was never taught any better.”
Studies show that if children are allowed to do housework, they will grow up more independent and have much more success in the career they choose. This is because if they grow up with a lot of responsibility, they will later have the confidence to take the initiative and to have high goals.
