Is helping at home such a hard chore?

DO Oldham’s teens get off scot-free when it comes to household chores?

A national survey for The Children’s Society claims the majority of teenagers never pitch in with the housework, and don’t know how.

Three out of four 11 to 16-year-olds have never loaded a washing machine, two out of three don’t iron, and three out of four are complete strangers to bathroom cleaning.

The survey’s highlighted the differences between average teenagers and an estimated 175,000 young carers in the UK, who carry out household chores from as young as five.

Marina Berry spoke to shoppers in Oldham to find out their views on youngsters pulling their weight around the home.



Janine Warburton, of Derker, has an 11-year-old son, Kade, who has a new rule of jobs for cash to look forward to when he starts secondary school in September.



“He will have to earn his pocket money by tidying his own bedroom,” said his mother.

But she does not expect him to do anything else to help around the house.

She said: “He’s a child and he should be enjoying his childhood.”

Pensioner John Pemberton said his 11-year-old grand-daughter did not help out at home, and said: “It’s wrong. She doesn’t do anything, her mum does it all for her.”

The 67-year-old, of The Fairways, Royton, added: “Children should have a room to keep tidy, at her age she should be able to wash up and keep the sink clean.”

Fatima Begum has a 10-year-old daughter, Fabiha, who is more than willing to help out around the home.

Her 29-year-old mother said: “I don’t have to persuade her to do jobs, she enjoys helping and sometimes asks is there anything I want her to do.”

Twenty-year-old Mohima Begum, from Coldhurst, helps out at home, as she did when she was a teenager.

She said: “I did tidying and cleaning. I didn’t have to, I had a choice, but I enjoyed it, and it has given me an idea of what it is like to run a home.”

University student Roseanna Doughty has always done jobs around the house. The 18-year-old, from Saddleworth, who is now at York University, said: “I did anything I was asked, I used to do jobs for pocket money. I just helped out generally, there’s nothing wrong in asking children to help out at home.”

Her grandmother, 74-year-old Maureen Corbett, echoed her opinion, and said: “It’s wrong when children don’t do anything, mine always had to.”

Maureen, who lives in Eustace Street, Chadderton, and has three children, eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild, added: “My children had to keep their bedrooms clean. They had their own jobs they had to do before they went out,”

She added: “My grandchildren all help me now. I don’t know whether they do jobs at home, but they do when they come to my house, and I don’t even have to ask them.”

Dawn Sexton (36), from Lees, has a two-year-old and is expecting her second child.

She said: “I wouldn’t want them getting to teenage years and not being able to do anything in the house.

“Children get things too easily these days. They should be brought up to have a bit of respect for money, and to earn treats by doing their bit around the house.

“I have friends who don’t ask their children to do anything. They just get handouts every week, but I won’t do that.

“My children will have to do some chores, you have to start early and slowly, perhaps with just a bit of tidying up.”

June Sellers’s 11-year-old son, Henry, has such a busy life he has little time for chores.

His mother said: “He always says he will do it later, but because I have only one child I give up in the end and do it myself.

“I could give him pocket money in exchange for jobs but when games cost £40 it would take a lot of work for him to earn that much.

“He’s not being awkward, he just doesn’t get round to it. He sees his dad doing a lot of the cooking and domestic things, so he knows everyone has to do them.”

She added: “At the weekend I just want to get the cleaning out of the way then I can do what I want, and Henry is off with his dad doing sports.

“He has a lot of interests, such as judo, cricket, football and guitar, and it all keeps him busy.”