Our boys split chores by 'whoever used it last'. Somehow nobody ever did

coral_sparrow_99248 May 2026

Elder one is 16, younger 14, and both are home all day this month. My office days change every week, so I'd hoped they would keep the kitchen sane between them. Their system is that whoever used something last washes it. Every glass in the sink has apparently been used by the other one. Paati is visiting and has started washing up herself just to stop the arguing, which defeats the whole point. Has anyone found a split that teenagers don't turn into a debate?

1 comment

moss_pool_82548 May 2026
Owners by week, not by item. In our house three of us rotate: dishes one week, laundry folding the next, bins and plants the third. Nobody argues about who used the glass, only about whose week it is, and that's written on the fridge.
- pebble_piano_23139 May 2026
  This works until someone discovers they can be 'busy' for their entire week. My 14 year old found that loophole in about ten days. We added a rule that skipped jobs carry over to the next week, which closed it, mostly.