Well, don't say I didn't warn you...this is a rant!!
As most of you parents were keenly aware, this past weekend was an extended one due to the President's Day holiday. My husband, DS, and difficult child spent Saturday AND Sunday in front of the television....cartoons, movies and video games all day long.
By Monday, the living room looked and smelled as if it had been lived in "all day long" for two days straight....empty soda cans, snack wrappers, empty popcorn bowls, (not to mention a scattering of dead socks and other cast-off clothing). And when it became clear that Mom was going make everyone get off their butts and do some chores--it set difficult child right off.
So here we are once again, all working to together to clean up and difficult child is having a little angry fit in her bedroom because she is unwilling to do even her regular chore of washing the dishes and wiping the kitchen counters.
This time, however, she comes out of her bedroom and begins to give me "tips" on how I can do a better job cleaning. You know, what sponge I should be using, or "Mom, the bleach spray is under the sink, ya know". While I would have liked to have told her where she could stick that sponge...I didn't. I didn't yell. I just said that if she was not going to help us, the least she could do was to get out of our way.
Eventually, the house was clean. (Yea!!!) After all the work was done...difficult child announces that now she is going to play on the computer. I didn't yell--I just said "No.". Which set her off again...angry, attitude, stomping around. I explained that you don't get privileges if you are unwilling to help around the house.
NOW comes the waterworks...and a whole list of reasons why she can't possibly be expected to wash dishes--and not one of the "reasons" is her fault--they are all mine! Mom doesn't buy the right kind of dish soap. Mom doesn't buy the right kind of sponges. Mom didn't show me how to wash dishes the right way. Mom complains if there's food left on the plates after I wash them. Mom makes me do dishes even if I had a bad day at school!!
I am SOOO sick of this!!! We have "negotiated" family chores many times...and it makes no difference what chore difficult child decides that she is willing to do--there are always a million reasons why she can't actually do it...and it is ALWAYS Mom's fault...and Mom is ALWAYS so unreasonable about it...etc. etc. etc.
So we "negotiated" family responsibilities again last night. difficult child decided that she wants all of her brother's current chores--which is largely yard work, cleaning up after the dogs, taking out the trash. This was fine with her brother...if she wants to pick up dog poop--it's OK with him.
I guess we'll see how it goes. Today is garbage day...
Cross your fingers!
--DaisyF
As most of you parents were keenly aware, this past weekend was an extended one due to the President's Day holiday. My husband, DS, and difficult child spent Saturday AND Sunday in front of the television....cartoons, movies and video games all day long.
By Monday, the living room looked and smelled as if it had been lived in "all day long" for two days straight....empty soda cans, snack wrappers, empty popcorn bowls, (not to mention a scattering of dead socks and other cast-off clothing). And when it became clear that Mom was going make everyone get off their butts and do some chores--it set difficult child right off.
So here we are once again, all working to together to clean up and difficult child is having a little angry fit in her bedroom because she is unwilling to do even her regular chore of washing the dishes and wiping the kitchen counters.
This time, however, she comes out of her bedroom and begins to give me "tips" on how I can do a better job cleaning. You know, what sponge I should be using, or "Mom, the bleach spray is under the sink, ya know". While I would have liked to have told her where she could stick that sponge...I didn't. I didn't yell. I just said that if she was not going to help us, the least she could do was to get out of our way.
Eventually, the house was clean. (Yea!!!) After all the work was done...difficult child announces that now she is going to play on the computer. I didn't yell--I just said "No.". Which set her off again...angry, attitude, stomping around. I explained that you don't get privileges if you are unwilling to help around the house.
NOW comes the waterworks...and a whole list of reasons why she can't possibly be expected to wash dishes--and not one of the "reasons" is her fault--they are all mine! Mom doesn't buy the right kind of dish soap. Mom doesn't buy the right kind of sponges. Mom didn't show me how to wash dishes the right way. Mom complains if there's food left on the plates after I wash them. Mom makes me do dishes even if I had a bad day at school!!
I am SOOO sick of this!!! We have "negotiated" family chores many times...and it makes no difference what chore difficult child decides that she is willing to do--there are always a million reasons why she can't actually do it...and it is ALWAYS Mom's fault...and Mom is ALWAYS so unreasonable about it...etc. etc. etc.
So we "negotiated" family responsibilities again last night. difficult child decided that she wants all of her brother's current chores--which is largely yard work, cleaning up after the dogs, taking out the trash. This was fine with her brother...if she wants to pick up dog poop--it's OK with him.
I guess we'll see how it goes. Today is garbage day...
Cross your fingers!
--DaisyF