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One of the few jobs my kids have is to do the dishes after dinner and tidy the kitchen. It used to be that one washed and one dried but all they did was fight so they now alternate nights. It seems pretty simple in theory. Scrape the dishes, wash the dishes, put in drainer. Wipe down the table, wipe the counter, clean out the sink, place any garbage in a garbage bag, sweep the floors, put away the dishes.
So how come they can't manage it? How come my kitchen actually comes out looking worse for the wear? Especially on Liam's nights.
I keep saying I am going to stand over them and tell them exactly what to do but when evening comes I have so much to do. Last night was Liam's night and I had a meeting at 7. So I had to feed the baby and get my books ready. I just generally did not have time. Time management is not one of my strong points. He started the dishes at 10 after 6, when in reality they should have been long done by that point. At 6.30 he had not emptied the dish drainer from the afternoon dishes and had washed a few dishes and just piled them on top of the earlier pile. There were still dishes on the table and he had not scraped a single plate.
Cue me saying "What have you been doing for the past 20 minutes!!!" Okay, I probably yelled it.
I think Liam's plan is to do such a crappy job that eventually I will just not let him do the dishes at all. He has the same idea in regards to putting away his laundry and cleaning his room. Make such a mess of it, that mum will just get fed up and do it.
He's not going to win this battle though. I'm already cleaning up after his "cleaning" and I'm getting pretty pissed off about it. I think this weekend he and I are going to do the whole house together, including bathrooms, the one job he has never had. What fun! Some mother and son bonding time. Hopefully, he will realize that dishes are pretty freaking easy compared to the rest of the crap I could have him doing.
30 January, 2007
I'm on to you kiddo
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9 comments:
Hey Emma, both of my boys try to do this, it drives me nuts a job that should only take a short time ends up lasting hours sometimes just because they want me to get irritated and do it myself. I feel for you. I should do the same this weekend, Lord knows my house could use it but can I deal with it?
Emma Dillon used to be like that but at the age of 13 he finally learnt that instead of listening to me lecture him again and again he might as well do the dishes and wipe the table without being asked. Bliss. I just have to remember to make sure Mollie does her share.
Unfortunately his ability to clean hasn't stretched to his bedroom maybe I'll try the bathroom cleaning on him and we can swap notes!
Go Emma, go Emma!!!!!
Ha ha Emma consider yourself tagged!!!
I think it's excellent. My son is learning how to cook, same as my daughter. When the time comes, my daughter will learn to change the oil in the car, just like my son.
I married a man who had been living alone for nine years and he can cook, clean, and vaccum like nobody's business.
Yeah, make him do the toilets. That'll fix him!
It is hard sometimes to get them to what they're supposed to and not lose your own cool. A wise friend told me recently that when her kids complain about doing a chore, she keeps adding on more chores until they just shut-up (my word) and do it already. They learned pretty quickly it's better to just do the first task without complaint.
My daughter does a great job with the dishes, it is my husband who plays that game of, "I am going to do the crappiest job possible so she will never ask me to do dishes again" But my husband forgets that I grew up with four brothers and I know that game well. My dad use to pour cinnamon in chili so my mother wouldn't ask him to cook.
My mother never made us do any house work. Our bedrooms were disgusting. Embarrasingly so. The only rule was that we close the door so she didn't have to see the filth in which we lived.
Today I really wish she were more firm. Actually gave us SOME chores. Anything really. Cuz let me tell you, I married a clean freak and it is not going well.
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