They Can Be Taught

in Giggles on June 23, 2016

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At my house, Summer is in full swing.  With the wonderful season of Summer comes the whining, the constant eating, the swimming, the always-on TV, and the never-ending drone of I’m bored.

You’re BORED??  Are you kidding me right now?  There’s an X-Box, a Wii U and a pool table upstairs; not to mention a Play Station and a SWIMMING POOL downstairs…but what do I know?  I’m just the Mom.  You’re out of ideas.  Tapped out.  I get it.  Please allow me to take a break from my lounging around during my summer vacation of total and utter relaxation of catering to you, your friends, the house, the blessed-stinking-laundry, multiple trips to the grocery store (in the same damn day) to entertain you with an idea or two…

Are you ready?  This is a good one.

Go clean a bathroom.

I’ve got one with your name on it.  Actually, truth be told, I have a couple with kids’ names on them.  My house’s floor plan is perfect for our boys to girl ratio.  Our two boys share a Jack and Jill bathroom.  This works great for keeping most of the nastiness that accumulates between two brothers in one specific location.  I stopped venturing into that particular bathroom a long, long time ago.  Emma’s bathroom doubles as the guest bathroom, and therefore stays relatively clean, but she still gets to play the part of Merry Maids in that part of the house.

Contrary to popular belief, housework will not kill you.  But, like all useful skills, it must be taught: Step-By-Step.  In order for our kids to keep clean houses once they move out of ours (I mean, after all, isn’t that the end goal?) we must teach them how to clean while they are still under our roof!  At times, this is a painful process.  One that must be repeated over and over and over and over again.

Through the years, I have found that my kids operate better with lists that they can check off.  This is a win-win for them and for me.  I do not have to continually repeat my directions throughout the day AND everything I asked them to do gets finished.  Today is Thursday.  The weekend is fast approaching.  I would wager that more than a few of y’all reading this blog will have a stray kiddo or two wander over to you this weekend and utter those famous last words, “Mom, I’m bored.”  When they do, you will be ready.

Click here, and print out my HOW TO CLEAN A BATHROOM checklist.

I printed three copies for my kids…and laminated them, then I taped them to each kids’ bathroom mirror.

On Monday I also typed out a list of chores that I wanted completed by this afternoon (Thursday).  I gave the children most of the week to accomplish their list of chores.  Of course the only one to finish the list was Emma…the boys are a bit behind.  Is this always going to work?  No.  I’m not delusional.  But, it IS a starting place.

I would LOVE to hear about things that have worked (and have NOT) at your house!

Here’s hoping your day is not BORING!

-Dallas

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