Assigned Chores

Assigned Chores for Children Aren’t Old Fashioned, They are Healthy for the Home

Confusion, frustration and stagnation are but a reflection of our selves. Daily stress builds as we try to comfort ourselves with comforting things. My brother’s favorite comment when confronted about excess purchases was “I deserve it!” Adults who were deprived as children buy grown-up toys. Credit cards make these dreams possible. We are now drowning in debt with our extremes. Daily trips to the malls for instant gratification are the norm. Where did we fall “off the common sense wagon”? Homes bulge with necessary objects, and we drown in our materialism. Sound familiar? What are we looking for? Excess and clutter are but a symptom of some larger problem. During Feng Shui consultations, I see an overabundance of furniture, toys, dishes, dried flowers, knick-knacks and food. Where does it end?

houseBuying things is a form of procrastination. It takes time and energy, and it can be temporarily fulfilling. The home becomes burdened with the weight of our expectations. Do yourself a favor — lighten the load. Give away, sell or throw away excess. Objects block Chi and lower your ability to get on with your life.

Children’s rooms bulge with computers, toys, clothes, shoes, clock radios and TVs. This week alone, I saw six children’s beds placed in wrong Feng Shui positions causing insomnia. Ease the flow of knowledge by removing the electromagnetic appliances from the bedroom. Bodies heal as they sleep in a Feng Shui-friendly environment. Waiting for a teen to clean their room can only impede the whole family’s harmony and balance; maybe the young person’s room is positioned in an important section of the Bagua, or grid placed over the home, which blocks your career. Shutting the door to his/her space only shuts off viable Chi in the home, causing energy blockage in that section of the house.

Consider other chores for the child if cleaning their room is a weekly battle. During our children’s teen years, I let them choose chores. On a farm, there is plenty of hard work to share. My son chose outside work with crops, animals, harvesting and hoeing. My daughter loved to water and drive tractors outside, but also helped inside the house with washing clothes, loading the dishwasher and putting groceries away. We all canned food. From planting to gathering, it was a family project. Allowances were given but also taken away for discipline reasons. They also worked in town after school. Everyone has to decide how to keep peace and tranquility in the home for their own family.

Dear Caroline,

I have a million questions about Feng Shui, but first of all I need ideas about how to get harmony in my house. I have to battle with my children just to get them to clean up after themselves. I try to tell them when you have a clean home, you feel better and it helps your moods, but that didn’t help. I know kids are kids. I would be very grateful for any help you can offer. Thank you and have a great day!

Thank your for your question.

Wealth_SymbolMany times children’s bedrooms are placed in the wrong Gua or section of the home. They can become overactive or under active, thin or overweight. Too much stress is placed on the child if he is placed in the far back right side of the house. This Gua is reserved for the disciplinary responsibility of the parents of the home. It is hard to evaluate any home without more information. When giving a consultation, I prefer to see the home or pictures of the house. I want to know the ages of the children and birthdays of the family to check out the elements you have already incorporated into the home, and the favorite colors of clothing worn by each family member. For example, wearing too many cool colors in the wintertime doesn’t help the immune system. Wearing excessive reds and oranges in the summer months might overheat young children. Also foods relate to the season cycles; some foods are best for your body during a certain season.

The subject of artwork should be considered for improving and activating different sections of the home. A slow-moving water picture could be chosen for enhancing the career zone near the front door to the house, or placed on the child’s bedroom wall near the door to keep the child calm. For a lazy teen, try pictures of wild animals; birds or pet pictures could be placed on the middle wall across from the door wall of their bedroom, which will help Fire up his/her ambitions! With school starting again, place a beautiful mountain picture, with lush green trees over the child’s desk, so Knowledge will be easier to attain. The symbol for Knowledge is a mountain.

Staging Your Home for Sale

gardenI have recently been working with realtors doing “staging consultations.” Using prints of my Feng Shui Art to help balance homes is giving the house a needed lift. I enjoy the mystery of a hard-to-sell property and the reward of “curing” the space. Feng Shui Staging, which can be done on-site or scanned floor plans sent to me by email, is a common way to find the problem.

It is important to keep the clutter at a minimum for the whole family’s sake whether your home is for sale or you are living in your in your dream home. I have found a few hugs go a long way in helping my Grandkids keep clean rooms. I regret I didn’t give my children more hugs, but I’m catching up now!

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