I am due a pat on the back...

seriously

New Member
My difficult child 2 is doing his first big chore of the day.

He hates chores. Who doesn't say I?

But he is having a blast although I KNOW he will never admit it.

And I am congratulating myself on thinking of this chore because this kid is about to drive me to the point of hitting him, and I don't mean in a nice way.

He is cleaning the picture windows (4 of them that are 4 feet wide by 8 feet tall) on our family room. Hopefully the windows will stand up to the process.

I let him use the super power blaster hose attachment and he is blasting the windows with abandon.

Yayyyyy mom.

Now I just have to move back into HAPPY manic mode before he comes back in and I have to inspect what I am pretty sure will be a lousy (but very wet) job.
 

gcvmom

Here we go again!
:bravo: At least he's keeping cool outside and out of your hair for a few minutes! Don't worry if it's not perfect or even if it IS lousy. The momentary calm is worth it!
 

InsaneCdn

Well-Known Member
Boy + machine = fun. period.

difficult child?
- won't wash dishes, but will load dishwasher;
- hates to dust, but will run vacuum
- will not sweep the walk - but no problem using the power blower
- won't peel carrots, but loves to run the kitchen centre to make slaw
I think he figures that as long as it has a motor, its either man's work or gender-non-specific.
So the next job I have to get him going on is laundry.
 

Marguerite

Active Member
Well done!

While he's at it, take the dishes out of the kitchen sink and put them on the lawn and let him loose with the water gun.

The silliest things happen this way sometimes - difficult child 1 always hated water. He went years not letting us wash his hair because he was so hydrophobic. He stopped coming to the beach with us, or if he came, he would just paddle on the edges. He would come home from swimming class with a dry swimsuit.

Then at age 20 he got a job washing cars, and would come home soaking wet with a big grin. And about the same time he got a job as an extra in a mini-series about convict transportation. There was a day when they filmed a storm at sea, and the holds of the ship were leaking water from above deck, onto the convicts. They used a lot of footage they shot of difficult child 1 that day, looking like a drowned rat, tossing his waist-length hair around as he had fire hoses and rubbish bins of water thrown at him by the set hands. The set hands were apparently enjoying this, he was goading them to throw more water his direction because he was having fun. There were about 20 "convicts" in this scene including his sister and then girlfriend, but we didn't see much of the others when the film was broadcast...

I think it has to go down as one of the most unusual jobs a guy could have, especially a guy who thought he hated getting wet! It was not summer, either, but early spring. The water was not warm, because it would have steamed on film.

I know difficult child 1 would not love to clean picture windows especially with a water gun. He's also got very good with a squeegee too. The perfectionist in him!

Now you just have to think up other interesting jobs. One we introduced our boys to is vital here in summer - cleaning the gutters. If we don't keep the leaves out of the gutters they are a fire hazard. The job has to be done every few weeks, year round. A fun trick we also do when fire is coming, is stuff a tennis ball into a stocking, then stuff it into the top of the downpipe (the stocking is so you can pull it out later). You then fill the gutters with water so if the fire comes, that's a bit of extra protection.

I would suggest any more ideas like that one - make a list and let him loose on it. And praise him for the job.

Go take photos. Fast exposure - you will need to get in fast, this is rare. But wonderful.

Marg
 
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