AnnieO
Shooting from the Hip
I'd go off my rocker having to live like that.
Susie - it's a great idea. Unfortunately, some things cannot be ignored - and no one is going to come to my house just to tend the litter box. (Dirty litter box = cat poo on the floor... USUALLY in MY bathroom, because they have another litter box there - and for some reason, it gets cleaned, but if they're upset about the other one...) Or dishes. They start to grow weird stuff and REEK after a couple of days, at which point EVERYONE is being punished. I finally told the kids - here's the deal. Since you don't do your chores when you're asked to, and refuse to follow your lists, from now on you will do them WHEN you are told to, and for no allowance. Period. Interestingly, this seems to work better (I'm not sure why).
HOWEVER, that said - I still cannot park in my garage, husband's computer room is disgusting, and the kids' rooms - well, Onyxx's looks like a tornado hit and Jett's as well, but his also SMELLS on top of it. He cleaned it last Saturday - spent the night at a friend's - and when I got home, I wandered down the hall and - SPLOO! explosion of stuff on the floor. Wait, he went in there for 2 minutes to put on his costume. WOW.
This weekend - Friday he didn't have school, and husband let him play a game on his laptop... Then told him to sweep the deck (leaves) and clean his room. Needless to say... Game was his priority, so I had to send him to do his room when I got home - and didn't realize husband had mentioned the deck... He went to BM's, and the deck is still covered. husband and I agreed - no more games or TV till stuff is done.
How are we going to enforce? Easy. Parental-control the TV (hee hee, love U-Verse), and the games are locked up.
Is it going to be a pain? Yes... But... Necessary. Natural consequence - watch TV and don't do stuff? No TV till stuff is done.
Susie - it's a great idea. Unfortunately, some things cannot be ignored - and no one is going to come to my house just to tend the litter box. (Dirty litter box = cat poo on the floor... USUALLY in MY bathroom, because they have another litter box there - and for some reason, it gets cleaned, but if they're upset about the other one...) Or dishes. They start to grow weird stuff and REEK after a couple of days, at which point EVERYONE is being punished. I finally told the kids - here's the deal. Since you don't do your chores when you're asked to, and refuse to follow your lists, from now on you will do them WHEN you are told to, and for no allowance. Period. Interestingly, this seems to work better (I'm not sure why).
HOWEVER, that said - I still cannot park in my garage, husband's computer room is disgusting, and the kids' rooms - well, Onyxx's looks like a tornado hit and Jett's as well, but his also SMELLS on top of it. He cleaned it last Saturday - spent the night at a friend's - and when I got home, I wandered down the hall and - SPLOO! explosion of stuff on the floor. Wait, he went in there for 2 minutes to put on his costume. WOW.
This weekend - Friday he didn't have school, and husband let him play a game on his laptop... Then told him to sweep the deck (leaves) and clean his room. Needless to say... Game was his priority, so I had to send him to do his room when I got home - and didn't realize husband had mentioned the deck... He went to BM's, and the deck is still covered. husband and I agreed - no more games or TV till stuff is done.
How are we going to enforce? Easy. Parental-control the TV (hee hee, love U-Verse), and the games are locked up.
Is it going to be a pain? Yes... But... Necessary. Natural consequence - watch TV and don't do stuff? No TV till stuff is done.