Should children be taught house chores?

She informed us that she needed to go pick up her daughter from the market.

“You know, Donna does the shopping in the market these days,” she spoke about her 15-year- old.
“Does she?” Many of us across the table remarked visibly, but pleasantly surprised.

“Yes, she does,” the proud mother replied. And we all loudly applauded her.

But why is this worth celebrating? Because we live in interesting times.
I have not recovered from a 13- year-old boy who once told me, that once in a while, he helps the maid at home lay his bed. His bed, not her bed. He helps her, meaning, under normal circumstances, the househelp lays his bed and cleans his room. It is her place, call and responsibility.

That statement alone had my jaw dropping to the ground.
If the maid lays the bed of a 13-year old, what else does she do for him? In the wider scheme of things, is this beneficial to the teen or it is rather spoiling him?

One day, a parent told me there was no need to teach her children domestic chores such as washing clothes or cooking, arguing that in the coming years, the world will be full of machines and gadgets to do all the work.

I opted not to say much because we had different schools of thought and sometimes, there is really no need to argue.
So here is the question. Does teaching children domestic chores really matter? Should children be engaged in doing chores at home? Do house chores teach children anything about their home and environment? Are there any values that children learn? Is it true that the need for basic skills will not be relevant in the years to come?

I have seen children of some of the wealthiest people involved in day-to-day work and their fingers have not dropped off. I have also seen children who later became adults and they are a challenge not only to themselves but to the people close to them.

That, among other reasons is why we celebrated my friend whose daughter can now do the family shopping in the market. Children who can navigate the streets the same way they manipulate the latest smart phone.

The journey continues!