The history of chores

Zann Miner / Culpeper Star Exponent
Published: March 26, 2008

Chores. How many of you have a positive reaction to that word- I know my knee jerks at the sound of the single syllable. At first blush I can conjure up all kinds of avoidance measures including being the victim of a life threatening sickness or engaged in other endeavors of world class significance.

The word carries the connotation of non-essential, boring busy work sometimes fabricated to keep children out of trouble. The term heretofore has held no redeeming qualities. Yet, it was a large and ever-present component of my childhood and like a good girl, I have carried it with me to my adult years. Such a dichotomy deserves a closer look.

An Internet search of various sites reveals definitions consistently including the words "routine," "daily," "duty," "minor," "burdensome," "difficult" and "unpleasant." Certainly, all could agree with the descriptors of routine, perhaps even daily, and duty, but I am not so sure about difficult and unpleasant.

Wouldn't the level of difficulty be reduced by the daily occurrence of the routine- If a daily task constituted a recurring unpleasantness, would one not think twice about changing one's line of work or lifestyle that required these chores-

However, there must be something to this idea that chores are distasteful as the Internet is also filled with sites promising to "make chores fun and easy" with a fun chore organizer, chore chart and my favorite, kids chores advice.

Though there is a plethora of what I am sure is sage advice, it may be more helpful to redefine the word chore. More clarifying is the perspective that a chore is simply a task performed routinely to ensure the success of a predetermined outcome.

The Free Dictionary used the word in the following phrase, "the farmer's morning or evening chores." It is a fair assumption that farmers' chores are necessary to the daily opening and closing of the farm business and likely consist of feeding and sheltering livestock, milking, or housing equipment. It is doubtful that any of this is non-essential or crafted for the sole purpose of giving the farmer something to do.

Can it be said then that the road to success is contingent upon one's chore related viewpoint- Probably not, but it is a sure bet that success will not be your friend if you choose to hold a contemptuous attitude toward chores.

Growing up on a farm and living in a reasonably well organized household consisting of one set of grandparents, one set of parents and five children, chores were a way of life. There was too much work for one or two and not enough disposable income to hire it done.

We may have thought it was madness but hindsight confirms a parental method in the required house cleaning every Saturday, checking the sheep each afternoon, feeding the dogs and cats every evening and straightening the dresser drawers quarterly.

I didn't mention setting the table, washing the dishes, chopping thistles, picking up rocks and the seasonal bombing of ground hog holes. By anyone's definition all are prime examples of chores.

It wasn't really a question of liking these tasks but rather the simple fact that they needed to be done. Ingrained in every ounce of our being was the notion that if you were to enjoy the privileges of home and hearth, there were certain expectations.

Ours was not to question, but to quietly obey the rules and regulations of the house. Little did we know that the lessons of responsibility, duty and pragmatism would render us a capacity for achieving order in the face of chaos and empower us with an ability to persevere through various trials and tribulations.

To insist upon a system of chores and to respectfully perform one's assigned chores is not an acquisition to some meaningless form of drudgery. It is an acknowledgment of the inherent value of the life-enhancing lessons found in the purest definition of the word chores.

Chore: a lofty assignment necessary to the success of most any worthwhile endeavor.

Zann Miner, former director of the Museum of Culpeper History, can be reached at or write Zann Miner c/o the Culpeper Star Exponent 471 James Madison Hwy. Suite 201 Culpeper, VA 22701.