Thanks for this article. I'm a step father of two teenage daughters and I can sing a song about chores. There is certainly a lot to say about how motivation works and why, etc... But in the end, from a purely pragmatic viewpoint, I just wanted this "problem" solved.

So, a while ago I set down and thought about how to make it somehow "cool" for our girls to do their chores. In the end it is all about recognition that motivates kids from within themselves. Well, I built a little web-application that truly did the trick. It converts chores into a playful competition and provides public recognition of everybody's deeds. It rewards completed chores in a meaningful way. Public recognition of what the kids did reassures them that their deeds don't pass unnoticed. THAT DID THE TRICK. You would not believe that ever since we put this program to work, our stuff is done!!!
You can try it yourself. It's Free:
http://www.smilingchores.com

I would love to hear your feedback and if it worked for anybody else. That would be terrific.

Many greetings,
Oliver