Monday, March 29, 2010

Are they lazy or am I OCD?

Actually, I am rather OCD. But still, what is wrong with these people?

I remember being stuck doing chores constantly as a kid and I hated it. As a mom, I get really tired of harping on the kids and husband to pick up after themselves. Even more agonizing was the "It's not my job" argument or "Well, she didn't finish it yesterday so why do I have to do it" or even the infamous "I did it already just like you want it" only to find that it is SO NOT clean.

Seriously...are they brain damaged?

So, I implemented the beloved chore chart. And everyone including the hubby is on it. I think my plan is very reasonable. Each person has 1 chore they do each day. That's it. And the chores rotate daily. So, one person is not stuck doing dishes for an entire week. The only other responsibility is to keep their room picked up. So why is my house is near constant disarray?

I just don't get it. Hubby's job is to take the garbage out each day. Because he is usually on nights, we collectively decided this would be his chore since he works long hours and rotating shifts. And when he was in the regular rotation, he only did his chores twice in a month which really pissed off the kids who were getting in trouble by HIM for not doing their chores!

I decided that I was doing laundry 7 days a week. My kids' tendency to stockpile their laundry and then cram it in and overload the washer made me crazy! I bought the washer and dryer just a couple years ago and the kids were trashing it. Or they'd throw all of their dirty laundry in a huge pile in the laundry room. Did I mention that for guests to enter our home, they have to walk through the laundry room? Oh it would make me freaking CRAZY! Or, their favorite...mix all the colors and ruin the clothes or use too much soap and waste it...or leave the wet clothes in the washer until they mildewed. I was fighting a losing battle, so the laundry is my chore now.

The only other change we made was that my youngest son has to clean and vacuum the livingroom every day. He's autistic and needs a rather rigid routine. So we figured it would be easier to give him one chore as opposed to a different one every day. I have to say, the kid is getting really good at it. I'm not being asked what he has to do anymore. He gets everything off the floor, vacuums and clears the tables. It's great!

That leaves 3 kids to rotate cooking & cleaning the kitchen, cleaning the bathroom, and taking care of the animals. So they each get to do the chores twice a week but not necessarily two days in a row. My brilliant and more than reasonable plan should work flawlessly. But...it doesn't. Unless I ride their asses which totally defeats the purpose of the plan.

The idea behind having each take turns cooking dinner for the family was supposed to have multiple benefits. One was that no longer would I have to figure out what to cook each night when I'd receive 5 different answers or 5 "I don't care" or 5 "Anything is fine by me". That is SO not helpful! It also would teach my kids a valuable life skill so if something happens to me or they make it to adulthood (if I don't strangle them first) they would be able to cook for themselves and not survive on fast food or Top Ramen. I also wanted to get them in the habit of planning meals ahead so I would grocery shop once a week. Fat chance though because no one is doing that and even though we have a magnetic grocery pad on our refrigerator...do you think anyone would remember to write something on the list if they open the last one or even if they finish the last of something? NOPE!

I can't win!

I'm wondering what you all do in your households to make sure things get done? I want to teach my kids (and hubby) responsibility. But the little shits know I am outnumbered 4 to 1 (5 to 1 when hubby is home). HELP! I need some more ideas!

3 comments:

  1. Hmmm..sounds like my house when I was living with my husband in Virginia. I'm back with my parents until my husband gets home from his deployment so it doesn't affect me now so much.

    When my husband would stockpile all of this things on the kitchen table, I would tell him "if you don't pick this up tonight I'm throwing it away". When he didn't pick it up that night, I threw it away... It worked quite nicely :)

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  2. I too have implemented the chores around here but as you know we both work graveyards and the kids think since mom n kenny are sleeoing we dont have to do our chores.... they all call me OCD because i think things have to be a certain way, i only want a clean house dont think thats too much to ask. My dughter is suppossed to laundry and my son is suppossed to load the dishwasher thats it, kenny does garbage and i do everything else, does that really sound like too much to ask from a 13 yr old and an 18 yr old?

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  3. I don't think so Angee. I like my pantry shelves to resemble the grocery store shelves...like foods together, labels facing out, alphabetized...but I know that it overboard so I don't make them do that (Unless they tick me off, LOL). But it would be nice to go into the pantry and not break my neck on the dog food spilled on the floor (which has amazing 'marble-like' characteristics...)

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