My Family and My Home
Primary 3 · Social and Religious Studies
My Family and My Home
Lesson 2 of 3
14 min
Let's begin
“Mutesi! Come and wash the plates,” calls her mother from the kitchen.
Mutesi does not move. She has just learned two big words at school and she is very proud of them. “I have the right to rest and play,” she says. “So I am not washing anything.”
Her mother puts down the pot and smiles. “You are half right,” she says. “Come here. Let me show you the other half.”
The other half is what this lesson is about.
A right is something that every child must have, simply because they are a child. Nobody has to buy it for you and nobody is allowed to take it away.
Here are the rights that belong to you at home:
Now look carefully at that list and ask a hard question: where does all of it come from?
The clean water in the jerrycan — somebody walked to the tap and carried it. The beans in your plate — somebody dug, somebody cooked. The uniform you are wearing — somebody counted out the Frw. Your rights arrive in your hands because other people worked.
That is why every right has a twin.
A responsibility is a job you are trusted to do — the part you carry so that the home works. Grown-ups sometimes call your household jobs your chores.
Here is the beautiful part: each right has a responsibility standing right next to it, like a twin.
| Your right | The responsibility that stands beside it |
|---|---|
| To eat good food | Help to prepare it, and wash your plate afterwards |
| To have a clean, safe home | Sweep the compound, put rubbish in the pit, do not break things |
| To go to school | Arrive on time, do your homework, look after your books |
| To rest and play | Finish your chores first, then play |
| To be listened to | Listen politely when others are speaking |
| To be loved and protected | Be kind to your brothers, sisters and cousins |
Do you see the pattern? A right is what you receive. A responsibility is what you give. A home needs both, or it falls over.
Mutesi said: “I have the right to play, so I will not wash the plates.” Was she right or wrong? Work it through slowly.
Here is the rule Mutesi learned that evening, and it is worth writing in your book:
A right is never an excuse to drop a responsibility. Rights and responsibilities travel together.
Mutesi washed the plates in four minutes. Then she played until dark.
Tip
How to remember it. A right is what you get. A responsibility is what you give. Two hands: one hand receives, one hand gives — and one hand alone can never wash itself.
When you feel like arguing “but I have the right!”, first ask yourself the twin question: “…and what is my job that goes with it?”
Important
This part is serious. Chores are normal and good. But if someone stops you from eating, keeps you away from school, beats you, or touches you in a way that frightens you — that is not a chore and it is not your fault. Those are your rights being taken away. Tell an adult you trust: your teacher, a head teacher, a nurse, or another relative. Keep telling until somebody helps you.
Answer in your head first, then read the answer.
Which of these is a right and which is a responsibility? (a) Sweeping the kitchen. (b) Being taken to the health centre when you are ill.
Answer: (a) is a responsibility — it is a job you give to the home. (b) is a right — it is care you receive, and no child should be left sick without help.
Gatete has the right to go to school. Name two responsibilities that travel with that right.
Answer: Any two of these: arriving on time, doing his homework, listening to the teacher, keeping his books clean, walking home safely. His learning is his right; the working is his part of the bargain.
Uwase’s chores are: sweep the yard, wash her own plate, and feed the goat. Her brother’s chores are: fetch water and sweep the kitchen. How many chores do the two children have altogether?
Answer: 3 + 2 = 5 chores. Notice that neither child does everything, and neither does nothing. That is what sharing the work looks like.
Ishimwe says, “I am only 8, so I have no responsibilities at all. Responsibilities are for adults.” Is he correct?
Answer: No. His responsibilities are smaller than an adult’s — he is not expected to earn money or pay rent — but they are real: helping at home, doing his schoolwork, and being kind to the people he lives with. A child who does nothing at all is not resting; he is leaving his share of the work on somebody else’s back.
Keza is told to fetch water. She says, “I have the right to rest.” What should she do?
Answer: She should fetch the water first, then rest. Her right to rest is real, but it does not cancel her job — and remember, that water is what gives her the right to drink and to wash. Rights and responsibilities travel together.
What you learned today
Quick check
A right is never an excuse to drop a responsibility.
