There’s a joke we like to tell in our family about my nephew. When he was about 5 years old his mom asked him to do some chore and, of course, he complained. Someone asked him if there was anything he disliked more than doing chores. My nephew answered, “Yes . . .jobs!” Jobs were extra chores he had to do as a consequence for misbehavior.

We laugh about it because no matter how old you are in our family you contribute to the family work whether you call it chores, jobs, jurisdictions, stewardships, etc. Everyone contributes to make sure the household runs more smoothly (eventually) and to learn that work is necessary but can also be enjoyable.

Now about that eventually up there. When there is a house full of little ones it is often much easier to do the work yourself. You know how to do it and can do it much more quickly than when the little ones “help.” Their ‘help’ seems to be a hindrance rather than real help! However it does children a great disservice if they are not allowed to help or even expected to help. Working together with my children is one of my greatest joys. It provides wonderful opportunities to talk, laugh, and sing with them. Even if it does take twice as long to get things done.

Elder Robert D. Hales said: Work together as a family, even if it may be faster and easier to do the job ourselves. Talk with our sons and daughters as we work together.

Working together as a family is one of our favorite things to do. There are so many benefits to teaching our children to work!

1. Working together as a family builds not only our relationships with our children but their relationships with each other.

They learn to work together, brainstorm the best way to do things, and come to value each person’s ideas and opinions. It is heartwarming to see older children helping younger ones. Of course, there are disagreements and bickering, but there too they begin to learn to discuss differences without arguing and contention . . . eventually.

2. Work teaches us to be productive, to be busily engaged, and not to waste our time in idleness.

Why is idleness bad? I love this quote that explains it in clear terms, “Elder John Longden, an assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, quoted Herndon as saying, “Satan selects his disciples when they are idle; Jesus selected his when they were busy at their work either mending their nets or casting them into the sea.” I do not want to fall prey to Satan! I do not want my family to either.

3. Work builds and refines character.

One of my many memories of working with my family growing up involves shoveling fresh manure on our garden. My dad ordered a whole dump truck load! Shovel by shovel we had to spread it on the garden. The smell made me throw up after each shovel full but I did it. Little did I know then that I would marry a farmer and have to learn how to overcome the smell of fresh animal manure!

4. Work creates beauty.

Any painting, book, or song is created through hard work. So too is a beautiful yard, an organized home, and even a homemade loaf of bread.

President Brigham Young said: Progress, and improve upon and make beautiful everything around you. Cultivate the earth, and cultivate your minds. Build cities, adorn your habitations, make gardens, orchards, and vineyards, and render the earth so pleasant that when you look upon your labors you may do so with pleasure, and that angels may delight to come and visit your beautiful locations. In the mean time continually seek to adorn your minds with all the graces of the Spirit of Christ.

The work of creation makes our world, or communities, our neighborhoods, our homes places of beauty.

5. Work is the instrument of our service to one another and to God.

A consecrated life is filled with work, sometimes repetitive, sometimes menial, sometimes unappreciated but always work that improves, orders, sustains, lifts, ministers, aspires. {D. Todd Christofferson}

Whenever I read that I think of the constant work of mothers which often goes unnoticed except for by the One whose notice really counts. And that’s okay! It’s also good to teach our children that when we serve others we will not be thanked or even noticed most of the time. We don’t serve to be seen of others. We work to serve others to be God’s hands on earth. Most of the work we do will be serving others in one form or another.

One of the greatest things we can do is teach our children the joy of honest labor. They will learn this best working together as a family on projects that improve your home, serve others, and create works of beauty.