1. Consider Your Teen's Schedule
Teenagers have so much going on in their lives with school, athletics, part-time jobs and extra-curricular pursuits that parents often forgive them for not participating in household chores. This is a mistake, however, as teens need to stay involved in the upkeep of the family home. It will help them develop life skills for when they leave home while also reinforcing the family bond. That said, the amount of time spent doing chores should not be excessive. You should work with your teen on developing a reasonable chore list. Calculate the time it will take to do specific chores to make sure he will have adequate time to complete them. Build flexibility into the schedule so you can work around situations such as semester ending exams, sports meets and even big social events.
2. Only Assign Appropriate Tasks
Some chores appropriately given to an 8-year-old child, such as sweeping the kitchen floor, may not be the right fit for your Teen. Your teen needs your recognition that he is growing and maturing and can thus be challenged with more difficult tasks. Instead of setting the table on Sunday evening, why not assign your teen the task of preparing the actual meal? Trust that he can handle such a task, and remember that it does not matter in the long run if the rice was scorched and the fish undercooked. Let him practice for his future as an adult.
3. Rotate Chores to Relieve Boredom
Everyone gets bored with household maintenance. Teens are no different in this respect than their parents and younger siblings. To help alleviate boredom and improve his attitude about drudge work in general, make sure to rotate chores. If he is in charge of the household laundry 1 week, entrust him with washing the cars and other outdoor tasks the next. Humans need the stimulation change provides to help "jump start" them. Whenever you do change the regular schedule, be sure you have shifted the chores fairly. A teen who has an easy load 1 week, only to be overwhelmed with tasks the next, is likely to rebel.
