Swapping Chores

When my kids were first diagnosed with asthma almost 22 years ago, it was a steep learning curve for us.

We had no idea about all of the environmental triggers around the house that can cause an asthma attack. Who knew there were so many everyday things that could cause one of the kids to cough and wheeze?

We found many things that set off their asthma, such as dust, carpet, mold, pollen coming in from the windows or open doors, cleaning supplies with strong odors, scented candles, and more.

The asthma doctor taught us to go through the house and check for asthma triggers. That took quite a while, but we had removed everything that was causing problems. The next challenge was to keep the house clean.

Not easy to do when you have a houseful of people, right? Not to mention the fact that most kids hate to clean their rooms!

Age appropriate chores

I always had my kids help me clean the house when they were young, and they let me know how much they hated it. However, I told them that since they helped make the messes, they had to help clean them up.

Each kid had certain chores, depending on their age. Many of you probably do the same thing. Assign the kids to set the table, help with cooking, wash the dishes, take out the trash, mow the lawn, put their clothes in the laundry basket, etc.

We tried all sorts of ideas. Cleaning up to music. Chore charts where they got stickers for doing chores, and a special treat or activity each week. We had all sorts of bins, labels, and shelves for toys. But there's only so much you can do to motivate kids to clean up.

And it may take a little trial and error to see which chores are the best for each family member.

Switching chores to help manage asthma

We have found that managing allergies and asthma included a lot of trial and error.

We realized that our old vacuum was not the best. It did not take long to notice that my daughter would start sneezing and wheezing any time she used the vacuum. Then she would try to empty the canister in the trash can outside. That was a bad idea. It was clear that she had to switch chores.

Then we found out that my son could not mow the lawn without having a major asthma attack. So he had to switch chores too.

It can be a challenge to figure out how to balance all of the work so everyone helps.

Sharing my experience with others

When I teach families about asthma triggers in their homes, I often share stories about our family's journey over the years with allergies and asthma. Parents often tell me that it is nice to hear from someone else who has gone through the same thing.

Some of the people I help are pretty funny. During one home visit, the husband elbowed his wife and said, "Eh? Eh? Did you hear that Honey? She said I don't have to mow the lawn anymore! Because it might cause an asthma attack!"

I laughed and told them that I wasn't going to get in the middle of deciding chores!

Allergies and asthma can be a little tricky sometimes. Especially since we can develop new allergies or asthma triggers at any age. So, good luck dividing up the chores around the house. You may need to switch them out.

But don't use me as an excuse!