I am a pre-menopausal mother of five... two teenaged daughters, and three older sons, one of whom just completed his second tour in Iraq. I have literally changed thousands of diapers in my years as a mother and more recently as a grandmother. I dream... nay, I live for the day when the proverbial reversal of roles kick in and my kids have the pleasure of changing my diapers.
“Momster”
I have a new nickname, a well earned one by all accounts. “Momster” It’s a combination of ‘mom’ and ‘monster’.
“Aw, come on guys, I’m not that bad!”
It started with my resolutions… for them. And I sneaked in a new daily chore chart, complete with smiley faces. Each rotation lasts a week. The smiley faces are on the ‘Wall of Shame’. Nobody wants a frowny face. When the girls were sick with a stomach bug someone drew spew coming from their grease pencil frowns, complete with chunks.
So for the past 3 weeks my house has been somewhat presentable. I am not running around like a chicken without a head trying to work 8 hours, cook and then clean up after 6 perfectly able bodies. Now they actually help out, not for allowance, not for privileges, but for a silly little grease pencil smile on their circle and two dot face up on the Wall of Fame/Shame. Money they know they just have to ask for, but they have to earn that upward curve and the bragging rights that come with it (especially when someone else neglected their duties). I don’t even have to enforce it. The siblings nag each other.
And yet I am the ‘momster’. Oh well, so long as the work gets done and I’m not the only one doing it.
I want to know what the chores are!!! My girls are only 5 and 7 and I struggle to come up with legit chores for them. They make their beds every morning, pack their backpacks, feed the dog, brush their teeth… but they’re too short to take the trash to the dumpster and even to unload the dishwasher. They take their plates to the counter after every meal… gimme more!!
Comment by Janalee — January 22, 2009 @ 9:32 amThe youngest in my household is 11 and does the same things the others do… wash dishes, dry and put away, trash, floors, and set and clear the table. I had a different set of chores when the kids were younger though. There was feeding the fish, keeping their rooms clean and keeping the toys and books picked up and in their place. And baths… yes, I would actually have to bribe my kids to bathe! Reading was even on the chart, and of course extra credit for being nice to each other. The rewards were different then. Ironically it cost more to inspire the kids when they were little. They wanted goodies, not little happy faces. Now days it’s all about the bragging rights and who has the most greasy smilies. Amazing!
Comment by Jody — January 22, 2009 @ 11:45 pm