Chore Lists or Not?

I was asked the other day if we have a chore list for Selena. While I can see where many children benefit from having a chore list, here in our home we do not use one. Selena knows that her toys and her bedroom is her responsibility to pick up and clean. As for other chores we are very fortunate that Selena thinks helping us is fun and jumps at the opportunity to help us with what ever we might be doing. My general feeling is that as long as she is willing to step up and help with little encouraging, then I do not want to limit her to thinking so long as she does what is on a chore list, her duties to our family are done.

Selena had no problem in getting down and dusting the legs and bottom of the table and chairs for me. I guess I should say until this happened:

There is hardly a time that Papa or I are doing something around the house that Selena isn’t asking to help. She will spend hours helping us weed the gardens outside. I can hardly open the dishwasher without her right there to help unload or load it. Sometimes it seems like she is tied to my waist as I scurry to clean the house and she is running around helping me with all that she has.

It is for this reason we do not have a chore list. So long as she is this willing to do what is asked of her, and does so with such joy, I see no reason to give her a false idea that all she is expected to do is what is on the chore list.

This is not to say that as she grows and we begin to see her less willing to help that we will not incorporate a chore list, but for right now, she is such a huge help to all of us, why spoil that.