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Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Putting Our Feet Down

So Hubby and I have decided, mutually, that the kids need to be a bit more.....involved in cleaning the messes they make all over the house. I should rephrase....Hubby and I have removed OUR involvement, and told the kids they are solely responsible.

For example: The kids had to spend last night cleaning their bedroom. They were told that anything left on the floor, under their bed, etc. that wasn't picked up or put in a place would be thrown in the trash today. Emily cleaned but spent the whole time complaining that she was working and Kaitlyn wasn't. I repeatedly told her to worry about her own space, not Kaitlyn's. I did not pick up one toy, piece of clothing or trash. It was rather nice actually....

I am just tired and fed up of doing everything for these kids, then they watch and as soon as I am done, they destroy the place all over again.....

It's a stance that the kids are not liking. Kaitlyn especially. In the past week, I have, out of nowhere, decided she is DONE wearing pull-ups, except at night. From now on, she will wear panties and use the potty. She's 3 1/2. Enough is enough!

Hubby says I am too soft with the kids, so part of this is to prove to him I am not. The other half is me reaching my breaking point. if they don't start learning the consequences of their actions, I am going to turn into my step-mother and end up coddling them for the rest of their lives. One look at my brother Christopher is reason enough to stop the insanity now, while they are still fairly young, and pray that it is effective enough to change their ways now, so they can grow to be independent people and not need me to be their bloody slave for the rest of their lives.

Well time to go do some cleaning that only I can do....vaccuuming and dishes...I'd ask Hubby, but he's on crutches from surgery and can barely stand without falling....

See You all soon!

4 flame(s) added to the fire:

Rebecca said...

Hey Cissa -
Love your new look of the blog! How have you been? I'm catching up on some of your writing, so clearly I'll find out.

Hope all is well! :)

Bilingual Blah Girl said...

Hi,
I saw (thanks to sitemeter) that you visited my blog so I thought I'd do the same. I miss the B babes. Hope you're doing fine! Happy Easter to you!

Unknown said...

Sorry I haven't kept up with yours as much as I'd like... and will get back in the habit again!

That sounds like such a fabulous idea! Mine likes to change his clothes 5 times a day and leave them wherever they fall. Same thing with crayons, markers, paper and toys. Throwing them out if they're left @ the end of the day is a fabulous idea! I'll have to give it a test run to see how he handles it.

Every kid is different but at least it's worth a shot.

Take care girly!

Anonymous said...

You should check out the book "Life Skills for Kids" by Christine M. Field. It's for kids of all ages and really helped me a few years back when I decided it was time for my kids to do more around the house!