Working as a Family

I hear a lot of people who complain about the lack of help they get from their kids around the house. Then there are the people who complain about always having to clean up after their kids. Then I think about a book I read- the lady was Amish and had six children. When asked if having more children was too much work her reply was that the more kids you have the less work you should have to do.
Children are a part of the family, it is the family's job to keep the house running and stomachs fed. They need to be taught the value of responsibility and they need to learn to take care of themselves and others. Doesn't it promote a better sense of togetherness when you all work on household work instead of leaving it all to one person while the others go off and do their own thing?
Having said all that, I just want to take the time to really appreciate how much my girls do around the house. My oldest three (all girls) are almost 10, 8 1/2, and 6 1/2. They all have their daily chores and (mostly) do them without a hassle. There are even certain jobs they each love to do and want to do more then they need to (why is washing the walls with a spray bottle of vinegar water and a rag so enjoyable?). When some people hear that I have had the last two babies at home they remark about how if they were me they would want the few days in the hospital to have some time off. When I had our last baby in March the girls stepped up and really helped daddy out around the house. I was able to be at home *and* have the rest and relaxation I needed because they all worked so hard together.
I have a list of chores that are for the kids to do. Each day I write down what they have for them that day and they check off everything as they do it. The only problem is that they are suppose to read a book for 30 minutes a day and they tend to want to read before chores and also try to extend their reading time past the 30 minutes. However, having children that are addicted to book is a subject for another post on another day.