Kelly Ripa's Chore Wheel: How The Family Divides Housework

Listen up, folks. If you're wondering how Kelly Ripa keeps her household running smoothly while balancing her busy career, well, the secret's out. She's not the only one sweeping floors or scrubbing toilets. No siree, Kelly and her husband, Mark Consuelos, along with their three kids—Michael Consuelos, 23, Lola Consuelos, 19, and Joaquin Consuelos, 17—have a clever system in place. They call it the "chore wheel," and it's a game-changer for dividing responsibilities fairly. During an episode of Live With Kelly and Ryan, aired on Monday, June 22, Kelly spilled the details on how it works.

How the Chore Wheel Works

Here's the deal: the chore wheel ensures that everyone in the household pitches in. One week, someone might be vacuuming, while the next week, they could be stuck with the dreaded toilet-cleaning duty. "Somebody’s vacuuming, somebody does the dishes, somebody does the laundry, and, of course, somebody cleans the toilet," Kelly explained to parenting expert Dr. Eileen Kennedy-Moore during the show. "It’s a very unpopular one, and we switch it up every week. It’s all about fairness, and no one is exempt—not even the parents!"

Why the Chore Wheel is a Genius Idea

Dr. Eileen Kennedy-Moore, the parenting expert on the show, couldn’t help but praise the chore wheel. "It’s a fabulous idea," she said. "There’s actually research showing that when kids contribute meaningfully to their families, they feel happier. Now, this might not be the best argument to convince them to clean the toilet, but it’s true, and it’s incredibly beneficial for their emotional development." The idea is simple yet powerful: by involving everyone, kids learn responsibility, teamwork, and the importance of contributing to the household.

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Quarantine Life in the Caribbean

Since the coronavirus outbreak, Kelly and her family have been social distancing in the Caribbean. Now, picture this: you're stuck on a beautiful island with your family, but you're trying to normalize life during a global pandemic. Kelly revealed that one of the ways she's been doing this is by letting her kids use their phones as much as they want. "I’ve been trying to normalize this crazy situation for my kids," she explained. "But now that we've been in quarantine for a few months, I wondered if I should start limiting their screen time."

Dr. Eileen had some advice for Kelly. "One thing you might consider doing is asking your kids, 'What do you think is a healthy amount of time to spend on their devices?' You might be surprised by how reasonable their responses can be," she suggested. Sometimes, the best solutions come from open communication and mutual respect.

Michael’s Contribution to the Show

Even though Michael has been enjoying unlimited phone time, he hasn't been slacking off entirely. He's been helping his mom film her talk show by producing the end of the program. Kelly mentioned that Michael started helping her when he was still an undergrad at New York University, but he doesn’t seem to think working on Live is anything special. "I said to him, 'Well, look at you. Here you are. You’ve got a job before graduation. That’s got to make you feel good,'" Kelly recounted on the ABC show in May. Michael's response? "Uh, yeah." Sounds like he's taking it all in stride.

So, there you have it. The chore wheel may just be the secret to keeping the Ripa-Consuelos household running smoothly, even during these unprecedented times. And hey, maybe Michael finds more joy in doing chores than producing a TV show. Who knows?