Confessions: The wash

[DanS.]

OK, I'm a single dad with two great kids. When they lived with their mom, my house was always clean. Now, I'm constantly having to bark out orders, in drill sergeant fashion - pick that up! Who left that laying there! Do the dishes! Wash the bedding!

It gets old, let me tell you. Once, I demanded washed and dried clothes be folded and put away the moment the buzzer went off. No longer. I let the dryer stay full and washer stay full until one of us needs it. Then the next person gets stuck having to do the next rotation.

Ultimately, this is exceedingly unfair. I'm afraid my wonderful child'n could be walking around in clothes dried soured and I don't smell them, because, afterall, they're teens and kinda avoid me.

What should I do?

[Tom Enright]

Everyone is responsible for their own laundry. If anything is left in washer/dryer it can sit there until someone else needs the appliance. At such time the owner of the clothes must remove their clothes (that's clumsy sentence construction, but I like it). If they do not, or are not at home, those clothes are stacked on the dryer/washer.

-Tom Enright

[Va Beach Hokie]

On Thu 13 May 2010 10:30:46p, DanS. ( [e-mail]) wrote

Cue Moparman...

[TimV]

Moparman's system is a waste. There are definitely opportunities for selling them into indentured servanthood.

T

[Michael Press]

Don't know. Do know that you are taking lessons from mianderson.

[DanS.]

Michael Press added the following to the totality of all human wisdom on 5/15/2010 in writing

This board used to be a very open and sharing place where people could come and share and stuff ...

I mean, come on, Mia's a 14 yo boy in his mom's basement pretending to be a doctor. I'm so not that ... I have scruples.

[Bonnie Jean]

-Tom Enright

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I agree with Tom. Allow them to reap the consequences of their actions, even if it means they have to wear dirty or wrinkled clothes or eat off of dirty dishes (set aside for their use). You can also combine that with other consequences like removing a privilege (TV show or time on the computer) if they don't do their chore. Set up a system on paper of what their responsibilities are within the family and what the consequences will be if they do not comply. Then DON'T BACK DOWN. Praise them for doing a good job or reward them. This is a great learning moment. In my opinion this is good practice for when they become adults and have to cope with the "real" world. Take a look at this:

Bonnie

Bonnie

[Americlense]

It's very simple, Have a group meeting and find out the real reason your children want the lazy side of life. My children always tried this as young do and when they lost their rights to have friends over, go places with their inner friends, and so on they got the message that a clean body with clean clothes was the only way to get out of the house.

Final thought, Even their friends will disown them for not being clean in a very short time for their unhealthy life style. On the other hand there's always a visit back to moms home for a couple of weeks to put your home back in order.

Trish D

[MoParMan]

I like my idea better, drown the bastards at birth. You'll live longer and prolly save more money.