Question: Should children be forced
to do housework?
☆Let’s
Think
1.
Read
the following and talk about other good effects of children doing housework. What chores have you done? How have
they affected you?
Scientists say kids doing chores helps
their development BBC 15th June
2022
“You might not be a big fan of chores
but new research suggests that they can get help you develop problem solving
skills and even do better in school.
The study has come from La Trobe
University in Australia and was carried out with more than 200 parents and
children aged 5-13.
Parents were asked about their child's
engagement after doing chores.
They reported that chores helped to
boost a child's executive functions: These include the ability to focus,
to plan, to switch between tasks, to remember instructions and control their
behavior.”
2.
Is
it ok to force children to do something? When necessary, parents must force
their children to do something. For example, they must make them take medicine
when they are sick even if they resist it, while forcing them to do some
activity they don’t like, say boxing or playing the piano, may be traumatic.
☆Hints for Points
Agree: Chores teach children skills necessary for
independence.
Chores encourage children to use their body and brain.
By doing chores, children can acquire patience, a sense of
responsibility, confidence, and self-esteem.
Housework teaches children knowledge about traditional seasonal
events and family cultures.
Through helping with parents, children can effectively communicate
with them and bond with them.
Children will come to appreciate work done by parents and gain
respect for labor in general.
Disagree: Forcing children to do against their will will
adversely affect their development.
Children
must play, study, and interact with people and nature instead of working.
Doing
a simple task for hours disrupts their physical and mental health.
☆Sample
Essay Structure
【Thesis】Chores can be a part of education. It is important for children to
be required to help with household work commensurate with their abilities
unless it interferes with other crucial activities for growth, because doing
chores helps children’s development in many aspects and brace them for
independence.
【Supporting Details】Assigning children
chores not only helps their emotional, mental, and physical development but
also give them basic skills of daily life, which helps them become independent.
They can learn basic domestic duties such as making beds, cleaning, washing, and
cooking. There is no denying that having these skills will make their lives
easier in the future than not having them.
【Counterargument-treatment】Disciplining often involves compulsion, and the negative effect
can be minimized or avoided by parents’ love and ingenuity such as introducing
the tasks as part of play or family event. After all, disciplining will nurture
patience and tenacity, which are indispensable to lead a good life.
【Conclusion】It is parents’ responsibility to make children participate in
doing housework so that they can function well in society when they grow up. (179
words)
【Supporting Details】Unfortunately, many
children are still forced to help with housework at the expense of other
essential activities they need to go through for their development and even
exposed to physical damage. This is not just because of poverty but because of
ignorance or negligence. Parents are human beings and imperfect and thus can take
advantage of their children for their convenience or pleasure. My mother made
me wax the whole floor of my father’s office with bear hands alone for hours at
least twice when I was around eight. I still remember the chemical smell of the
wax. The chemical my hands and respiratory organs absorbed could have
negatively affected my physical condition. Also, while I was doing the task, my
mother spent time with my little sister. I remember feeling isolated.
【Counterargument-treatment】Even though the task may
have instilled me with patience and sense of responsibility, its overall gain on
my development is questionable. My mother was not a bad person. In fact, she
was respected and loved by her family and friends, which means that most
children of average parents are vulnerable to parental ignorance, abuse, and exploitation.
【Conclusion】Thus, prudence is
necessary in assigning chores to children.
(234 words)
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your draft on this topic. Give feedback to other people’s drafts, asking
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DRAFT
