Mom Teaches Son Chores So He Knows They Aren't 'Just for Women'

Mom vows her son will “never be too ‘manly’ to cook or do chores”

Loading the dishwasher, washing the towels, and making a grilled cheese are just a few things one boy will grow up knowing how to do thanks to his mom. She’s vowed to teach him household chores, so he knows they aren’t just for women. Amen, mama.

Mom of two, Nikkole Paulun, shared pictures of her son doing housework on Facebook, and her post has gone viral with more than 55,000 shares. “I teach my son to cook & do household chores. Why? Because household work isn’t just for women,” she reported. Paulun then goes on to list various other reasons why it’s important for her young son (and really all men) to know his way around the house.

“Because one day he might be a single man, living on his own, who will actually know how to do laundry & not eat take out every night,” she explained. “Because one day he might want to impress a significant other with a meal cooked by his own hands.” Making meals was how my fiancé wooed me, so we know the value of that skill in our house. “Because it’s okay to let your child be a child but still teach them lifelong lessons along the way,” Paulun explained. Preach, sister. Not only is it okay it’s our responsibility as adults to help kids learn life lessons.

Other important reasons Paulun listed included “Because one day when he has kids & a spouse, he’s going to need to do his fair share around the home,” and “Because teaching my son how to do these things and be a productive member of society both outside the home and inside, starts with me.” Even though it’s 2016, and we’re a few months away from our first female president, some men still think household chores are things that only women should do. The easiest way for parents to help change that outdated thinking is by bringing their sons into the kitchen when they’re making a meal or sitting them down at a sewing machine when they’re finishing up a Halloween costume.

In teaching her son how to do so many things around the house, Paulun’s hoping to raise what we all want – a well-rounded adult. She wrote, “My son will never be too ‘manly’ to cook or do chores. He will be the kind of man who can come inside from changing a tire to check on his pot roast. Who can properly sort his laundry and mow the lawn too.” How great does that sound? Plus, researchers have shown that married couples are happier if they split household chores.

The Michigan mom has a message for other motivated moms and dads, too. She wrote, “Remember parents, a man who believes he shouldn’t have to cook or do chores was once a boy who was never taught any better.”