Stone Soup by Jan Eliot for September 25, 2024

Doesn’t work. I can testify that my teen just let it sit there until someone ELSE dealt with it.

i didn’t know the girls shared a bed

That’s one way to do it. Maybe not the best way, but whatever works.

I think you got their attention, Val.

I would have slammed the door open, seen my boys sitting there just reading and found it difficult to stay angry. No arguing and just enjoying books for pleasure? It makes up for a lot.

When you have to go to this extreme, it only proves you suck as a parent.

I once put my child’s dinner dishes under her pillow. I had reminded her repeatedly to put them in the dishwasher, which is not a huge chore. After that, a lot less of a problem. It’s not just about them doing what we ask. It’s them learning how to manage household chores on their own.

Our kitchen chores:

1. Empty the dishwasher and set the table. 2. Clear the table and load the dishwasher. 3. Do the dishes that don’t go in the dishwasher. We rotated.

I had two sisters. We also had to get the garbage down to the curb once a week. They weren’t unreasonable chores and failure wasn’t an option.

Hard mom.