Why is this coming up - well - I asked L to clean up her dishes in the kitchen and she said "why - that's your job" - I asked her then what her job is - "Working at the Day Care". Wow - this is the kind of conversation one might have with a significant other. I tried to have a conversation with L about this but it ends up turning into an argument with her - so I am going to write it down and present it to her. I need help though!
Here are the chores that need to be shared:
- Dishwasher Emptied
- Kitchen Counters cleared and wiped down
- Kitchen Floor cleaned
- Floors Vacuumed
- Cat Box
- Recycling
- Garbage
- Grocery Shopping
- Putting Groceries Away
- Our Own Laundry
- Keep Our Own Bathroom Clean
- Keep Our Items Picked Up In The Living Room
- Wash Our Own Dishes
- Wipe Up After Making Anything In The Kitchen
- Keep All Clothes In Room and Not In The Hallways
Any suggestions on how to present this would be appreciated!
De
2 comments:
De, the question appears to be "how do you get children to help with the household chores?" If you come up with the solution you could write a book and it would be a best seller.
Hmm...it seems to me that C and I have had this same problem. You're fighting an uphill battle...
Most likely you won't have much success getting her to do the regular household chores like emptying the dishwasher, vacuuming, etc. She knows if she holds out long enough, you'll do them. So here are some options:
(1) Tell L you're raising the rent so it includes maid service.
(2) When you do the laundry only wash your clothes. If she wants clean clothes, she can wash them.
(3) If L leaves clothes laying around the house pick them up and hide them. If she wants them back, sell them back to her.
(4) Close her bedroom and bathroom door so you don't have to see the mess.
(5) Get rid of the cat (one less chore).
(6) Tell L it's time for her to move out.
I think Tony makes several good suggestions here, especially #5, but you know how I feel about animals. Ultimately you've got no better answer than to say "I'm the mom, this is my house, if you don't like the rules, then get out." Fortunately, as the Mom/owner (of the house that is), you really don't need any other reasons, just the gumption to say it and stick to it. Maybe get a plate, bowl, knife, fork, spoon, glass, and cooking pot for each of you, hide all the other dishes in the house and then be sure to only cook with and clean your own dishes. The problem is L can always just go get another clean dish to eat out of, meanwhile the dirty ones stack up. Her tolerance for the mess is much higher than yours so you end up giving in and cleaning. If she's only got one option, then she must keep those dishes clean, else she's eating off dirty dishes.
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