‘This is why my son has to help with the household’

Take a look at Kristen’s house and chances are that you will not find an exploded nursery. “Call me strict, but I expect my kids to keep the room tidy most of the time,” she says.

‘Many parents I know have long since given up on their struggle with their child and just close the door behind them. Like: then the junk doesn’t exist. But that’s not how it works at home. ‘

Stereotype

Kristen insists that her children keep things tidy, with an eye to the future. “It’s mainly about my son,” she explains. ‘He’s still young, but the day will come when someone will live together in one house. And I don’t want him not to contribute to the household. ‘

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Of course she knows that anyone, regardless of gender, can make a mess. But in adult heterosexual couples, the burden of the household often falls on the shoulders of the woman. Even in marriages where both partners work full-time, statistically women do most of the household work.

Habit

To prevent her son from having to learn how to clean everything via YouTube, Kristen ensures that he is already learning that. “It should become a habit, just like taking a shower and doing homework,” she explains. “So I taught him how to sort toys (give some away and throw some away) and how to get rid of clothes he no longer wears.”

But communal areas in the house are also part of it, she says. He and his sister also fold the family laundry, vacuum the living room, and wash the windows. They learn from that – because they don’t live here alone. ‘