Pros and Cons of Working Together as a Family

As I sat in the car waiting for grocery pick up, I was trying to come up with new pros and cons to write articles on. My four-year-old said I should write the pros and cons of working together as a family. I thought it was a great idea and a time to teach her that I care and listen to what she has to contribute.

As a family of five, we often focus on the importance of working as a team. Many of our dinner conversations consist of how daddy can help mommy, mommy can help the kids, and the kids can help daddy. It is one giant circle, but it's hard to master. What are the pros and cons of working together as a family.

Pros of Working Together as a Family

1. Two days a week, my kids and I clean our whole house. It can last anywhere from a half an hour to six hours cleaning, depending on how much help I get from everyone. When you work together, you can accomplish hundreds of things quickly.
2. It is good to teach kids young that teamwork is a way to accomplish great things. Not to say that you cannot do something alone, but it shows kids that amazing things can come together as you pull your weight.
3. Teamwork teaches the importance of different roles in the team. For instance, in soccer, a goalie is just as important as a forward. A father and mother are just as important as the children. Each person has a unique and special role in the home to complete the perfect situation. Many families do not have this ideal situation. Some homes may only have one parent, no children, mixed families, etc.
4. Our kids quickly learned it is more fun to play together as a team rather than fighting over something the whole time. It is a quick reminder that not everything revolves around what they want, but you need to keep in mind the interest of others. The golden rule is perfect for this situation.
5. As you work together as a team, you have more time for yourself and time for fun. If it takes all day to do one of two things, you will quickly burn out and never have time for things you want to do.

Cons of Working Together as a Family

1. Everyone has someone in their life with whom they do not see eye to eye. Different personalities are hard to work with. In two of our articles, The Pros and Cons of an Introverts and The Pros and Cons of Extroverts, you'll find that those personalities are hard to understand from the other's perspective.
2. Different family members may have other ideas of what working together means. My mom's job was to stay home and raise the kids. Well, my dad worked hundreds of hours a week. I know of families where a husband expects the wife to work while he does his job at home. Some parents require kids to help with all the house chores, while others wish their kids would help with one or two weekly tasks. This is OK until one family member has different ideas than the others.
3. Sometimes teamwork doesn't seem to fit in with reality. In golf, you are not a team. You are an individual trying to accomplish great things. You may be an individual in a job trying to figure out a solution to the company's problem. This is a very zoomed-in part of life. Life revolves around teamwork from the family unit, schools, workplaces, and governments. We all are in some form of team. We need to get used to it and pull together.
4. Getting everyone together to work as a team is a painful process. Just like my kids getting chores done, it can be exhausting reminding and encouraging our kids to pull their weight as a member of the team. In some family situation's husband may want to stay home and play video games all day long as his wife works, comes home and cleans, makes dinner, and supports the family in every other aspect. Sometimes you may ask yourself, what's the point if it is such a struggle?

"Our goal is to help the world make decisions with a list of Pros and Cons. We invite all to add to our lists to help others make the most educated decision possible. We are all in this world together to help each other and learn from what others have learned from heir lives journey.

-Pros and Cons Team

Written By: Sarah