I am from a family of 11 children, we all had chores from the age of 6, we all cleaned our own rooms, the boys took care of the outside, mowing gardening, pruning trees, 9 of us children were living at home when I was 7, there was just one sister left at home, she always helped my mother cook clean do laundry, when summer came we all pitched in to help my mother can vegetables, we would crack 2 bushels of beans in an hour, Cut peal peaches take seeds out of cherries, cut pears, peel tomatoes, clean cut ales, bring in jars from bar clean and boil. When all the jars of canned goods were cooled we would take them to the old coal bin/fruit cellar The boys cut fire wood, but we did not heat the house with fire wood, we had a gas boiler. we lived on 2 1/2 acres