Started a new approach this past week. I am constantly cleaning up the kitchen, house in general... take care of our yards, the neighbors next door and the front of the sub division. The laundry is never ending and lucky me I have three bathrooms to clean as well.
My seventeen year old son who doesn't work or seem to be able to pass his classes in school is my intended target with my new approach.
About five days ago, I just quit. I quit doing dishes or unloading the dishwasher. Dirty clothes piled up in the hampers and the dust just stayed where it was on all the tables and shelves. The bathrooms I ignored except the one on the first floor where people coming over to visit would go.
Day four into this new approach I hit pay dirt (Pun intended). Zach cleaned his entire room and cleaned the living room that he claims as his "Video Lounge." He organized all his video games , cords and controllers.
He then made the comment that there was dust every where. I casually said that I hadn't noticed. He asked how you dusted a room and did we have a duster? I told him several places to look, never getting off the den couch. He couldn't find a duster and I said that I kept a bucket full of cleaning supplies in the laundry room "Use the Murphy's Oil Soap spray bottle, it's good for any surface except glass."
Tee-Hee!
After he cleaned the living room , he moved on to asking where I kept the vacuum cleaner. I told him (again from the couch) where to look.
The door bell rang and it was the next door neighbor's son wanting Zach to help him go dump some scrap metal . They took the frame for my trampoline that I had taken apart because so many springs had broken off. One more thing done for me!
I left for work while they were gone, went to pick Massey up at guard camp after I got off and came back home. Zach immediately shouted out from another room "Mom, I vacuumed the whole house and the dishes are done."
Let 'em live in squalor for a few days and they suddenly realize that maybe they should help out. They are lazy but not stupid. Zach can't gripe about how the house is falling apart because his only apparent job is keeping the sofa warm and eating six times a day. He WANTS to, but he knows he has no line of defense. He scrubbed all three bathrooms...not really good , but the attempt was there and at least they looked a little better.
Suddenly this concept has inspired him. Suddenly he has grand plans for the living room closet, still full of board games from long ago. Candy Land, Hi Ho Cherrio, Mouse Trap and several Monopoly games. Some are missing pieces, others just haven't been played in ten years.
He boastfully guides me through the house every time I come home now and points out his latest completed task.
I finally realized that I was killing myself like I did when all three kids were young over ten years ago. I work six days a week, always have. I am a pretty good mom I think... but my kids have seemed to forgotten that I'm not having to wipe their butts anymore and they can touch the dials on the stove now without having their hand slapped.
Dang, I should have done this five years ago. All I have to do with Massey is threaten her with taking her out of her many social clubs and activities if she doesn't help, but the boys are another thing. I have finally found that with them, reverse psychology is very effective. Let 'em not have their favorite footies clean when they want them or their favorite fork for dinner clean. Let them realize what a poor shot they are with their penis when they are urinating ... You would be amazed at how quickly that yellow spatter shows up around the toilet rim.
They don't clean the way I would do it, but I look at it this way..."My job is half done for me!"
I was totally wiped out this morning. I left the house yesterday at ten in the morning and didn't stop to sit down or eat until ten thirty at night.
Zach sits around all day and has a lot more time to see the dirt build up than I do. He has finally found that sitting in a clean house is a heck of a lot better than sitting in a dirty one.
He asked me tonight before he went up to bed if I could show him how to do the laundry tomorrow. He said he just wasn't sure when to use bleach or where it went.
I already have an index card with explicit instructions for washing hot or cold, where to pour the fabric softener and when to add bleach...ready to be taped above the washer.
I asked him tonight what I should blog about and he said "Write about how much I am helping out around the house."
He was puffed up with pride and I said I would title it "Golden Boy." He said he felt "Platinum" was more appropriate. He can remain "Golden Boy' ...WITH a question mark.
As for me and my WAY too late new approach...I will be "Platinum Psychologist."
Ya know, I just have to start thinking on my kids level more often. It gets much better results.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
12 comments:
Hehehehe... I love it. Maybe I should try this with Ryan. ;) Don't tell him I said that...
Moral of the story: This is what's known as the "Republican" approach. Helping people help themselves... Works quite well, wouldn't you say?
Who says that's the Republican way? I say it's just the right way
Just because I consider myself a Democrat, doesn't mean I have always and only voted for Democrats...in fact I have many times voted for people in other parties because I felt they were the best candidate. I vote for the person, not the party. I agree we shouldn't give a hand out to people sucking the system dry, but there are millions of people that truly need help...my family being one of them. I appreciate all comments and you are entitled to your opinions as well, but it seems a little self righteous to claim "helping people help themselves" as exclusively Republican .
I think Franklin D Roosevelt started a job corp ,TVA dams and social security to help those help themselves. Lets see Kennedy started the Peace Corp. I believe both were Democrats Lets see Bush introduced no child is left behind, what the hell was that about? and Reagan would not fund the mental health institutions when he was guv of CA, releasing many mentally unstable people to the streets of major California cities helping them to help themselves. I could go on and on and I do so without any email material from others Republicans think the only Americans entitled to healthcare are people who are currently employed and pay the crooked insurance agencies. To hell with everyone else. To them healthcare is a priviledge. I follow the teachings of a famous carpenter who said "Leave all you have and follow me" My mentor never said hold what you have tightly and God forbid you might have to share with your neighbor
I will give Zach the Platinum status if he can come up here and whip my "three little pigs" into shape!
"The Republican Approach?" GIve me a break. Let's see if I understand this moronic comment. It seems that the writer is inferring that Republicans have a patent on self-help and initiative. I guess that is like some Republicans claiming to have a lock on morality, family values, and love for one's country. That "Republican writer" is smug, self-satisfied, and narrow minded.
Both political parties have their heroes and their buffoons, but lately the majority of American people seem to have rejected the latest version of the GOP, and rightly so.
harvecin -
FDR's CCC put mostly teenagers to work and is of questionable value (historywise). The TVA was mostly for rural electrification and employed a tiny, tiny fraction of the entire population. The Peace Corp is for liberal narcissist self gratification (and is unpaid volunteer work). No Child Left Behind was to counter the liberal Teacher's Union notion that grades don't count in school. The good people of CA turned the slasher OJ loose. CA juries turn violent whacos loose with amazing regularity. What's a few more non-violent tinhats...?
Healthcare *IS* a privilege, just another commodity, and certainly not a "Right" (unless you're eligible for the easily and often corrupted government entitlement, Medicare/Medicaid).
If we start voting to loot the treasury for this company, that idea, and any other reason, let's just legalize all drugs, open up Fort Knox, and "party like it's 1999!"
Neal Cobb -
Liberals have the 'patent' on entitlements, useful or not, and 'initiatives' like the CRA - Jimmy Carter's 'feelgood' initiative for extorting banks, leading to today's mortgage crisis.
Tell me about Democrat's morality, family values, love for one's country, novel useses of cigars and stained dresses.
Then you can explain how an ambulance-chasing/community organizer, who is incapable of flying a Cessna, forget an F-16, and hasn't a clue how to run a company the size of a Fotomat booth is qualified to oversee the world's largest economy and command the world's most powerful military. (and throws a baseball like a girl!)
Anonymous,
My point was that there were good and bad people in both parties and that neither party has the patent on anything, good or bad.
It is easy to cite examples in both parties of stupidity, bad behavior, dishonesty, etc. Here are just a couple of cites that lambast the GOP for improper behavior, no doubt there are as many for the Democrats, too:
http://www.dkosopedia.com/wiki/Examples_of_Republican_hypocrisy_on_moral_values
http://www.democraticunderground.com/articles/01/02/010216_morality.html
Since I am neither a Republican nor a Democrat, I have no political ax to grind, but for you to persist in your elementary school name calling seems immature and silly. Americans have the right of free speech and the right to determine who and what they support. You also have the right to continue to make a fool of yourself, if you are so inclined.
Neal Cobb
mom i didnt like how you said i had poor aim i never miss the toilet
zach
p.s.
Anonymous get your head out of your ass its peole like you that are the reason the country is in the hole you would rather sit on your ass and play the blame game instead of working together to fix the problems of today you leave them to my genaration if your not part of the solution your part of the problem i dont see how the solution is to critcize the only man trying to do anything about it at least obama is trying something all republicans seem to be doing lately is shooting down anything he trys to do and going on extra marital affairs in argentina and then using the states money to pay for these trips oh sorry did i offend you well it seems like you have no problem doing it to others i just figured that maybe it was time some one offend your party the only diffrence is im not affraid to sign my name yours truly
zach
Post a Comment