Mom criticized for teaching her four-year-old son to do housework
Mom splits the parents up after teaching her four-year-old son how to do his chores, including scrubbing the toilet, and he loves it.
- Dashiell Hsu, 4, has already learned to vacuum, mop and wash dishes.
- Mama Agnes insists that she “enjoys” doing chores only when she wants to
- Opinions were divided on social media.
Young children imitate their parents, and a skilled four-year-old now helps with the cleaning chores around the house.
Little Dashiell Hsu has already learned a number of practical household skills, from vacuuming to flushing the toilet to doing the dishes and loading the washing machine.
Mom Agnes, 47, from California, posted a video on social media of her son helping out with tedious chores and even enjoying baking.
While the clip quickly caught the attention of thousands, opinions were divided.
‘That is incredible! Wow Dash,’ wrote one person, another said: ‘Can they only be 4 years old? They will have a lifetime of chores and responsibilities when they grow up.’
Little Dashiell Hsu has already learned a number of practical household skills, from vacuuming to flushing the toilet to doing the dishes and loading the washing machine.
On Instagram, mother Agnes denied that her son ‘doesn’t do chores every day nor is he required to’, but rather ‘likes to join in’ and ‘thinks it’s fun’
‘What can a four-year-old do? Clean the bathrooms, wash the dishes, mop, do the laundry, vacuum, wipe down the counters, put away the toys and bake a cake!’ Agnes said in the video as her son completed each task himself.
She also described Dashiell as a “highly organized and clean” girl.
On Instagram, she also denied that her son “doesn’t do chores every day or is forced to,” but instead “likes to join in” and “thinks it’s fun.”
“Homework is great for teaching kids practical life skills and responsibility,” she wrote, adding, “He does NOT handle any chemicals.”
“It’s not about having a super clean house, it’s about letting the kids be involved in the house (if they want to). In fact, she told me ‘I love dishes.'”
Agnes said news week: ‘Dashiell is responsible for cleaning up his toys and keeping his eating area tidy.
They taught him to clean at the age of two, but he does not have a fixed day-to-day schedule. Initially, it was simple tasks like dusting and vacuuming, but now he’s a bit older and he helps me do a lot of sorting work, like matching socks and organizing his toys.’
On TikTok hundreds criticized Agnes for being a ‘bad mother’ as it is ‘wrong’ to make such a young child do chores.
‘um… how about you let it, oh, I don’t know, be a kid!?’ one person wrote.
“If you’re helping him, he’s not,” said another.
But other parents supported the decision and hoped their own children would do the same, or at least show an interest in helping.
I love it so much!!! Life skills are so important. All of mine do ‘chores’ but largely step in and help where needed rather than strict rotation,” wrote one mother.
Another said: ‘Yes, they love being our little helpers. My son loves using the big vacuum and cleaning up the mess, even though he hates cleaning up his toys.’
A third joked: ‘Why do they forget to do these things when they become married?’
‘Most husbands don’t even do that,’ said another.