Writing for an Academic Discussion Should children be forced to do housework? - revised -

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 15^th 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)

 

【Thesis】I am concerned about exploitation and abuse in disguise of discipline when parents order their children to housework even though I admit that learning to do housework has fundamentally positive effects on children.

【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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