We are a set of the crueler parents out there. We make our kids say please and thank you. We make them use ma’am and sir (which gets mixed reactions, especially in the north). We make Reagan do chores. Oh. my. gosh.
You would think we’ve asked her to calculate the value of ∏ out to the 32nd place. Hardly. She has morning chores and evening chores. They are written down on a chart in her room and she marks them off each day. These chores do not change on a daily basis. These chores are neither physically or mentally demanding. But somehow these chores either do not get done or it takes for freaking ever to do them.
You may remember that I’ve written before about our issues with time management and the lack of ability to stay focused for lengthy amounts of time. Now we’re dealing with laziness. I walked by Reagan’s room tonight and she had fallen asleep reading…on top of her comforter. I told Du and he said, “oh yeah…she told me earlier that she was going to start sleeping on top of her covers so she didn’t have to make her bed in the morning.” Wha?! That is some professional laziness right there. I can only imagine what would happen if left to her own devices.
Wait. Maybe I shouldn’t poopoo this idea too quickly. If she doesn’t have to make her bed in the morning then that’s one less thing to take way too long to do. Chores might actually get done thirty minutes faster…hmm…
Not So SAHM 
I think I pulled that sleep-outside-the-covers trick one time when I was growing up. My parents were equally mean/cruel. 🙂 Amazing how much I appreciate them for it now…
People around here think we’re crazy for making Alex say yes ma’am, no sir (or vice versa) as well as please and thank you. For some reason, people out here just don’t raise their kids that way. We actually had a friend tell Alex on Sunday that he didn’t have to say “Sir” to him… um… yes. He does. I hear you about being lazy on the chores thing. It takes Alex forever to get stuff done. I think some of it just comes with the age.
that is so funny, she is one smart girl. Ha ha, sleeping on top of the bed so she doesn’t have to make it…
I guess I’d let her sleep however she wanted, but still insist that she make the bed right the next morning. Sleeping on top still messes up the blankets–so it still has to be remade!
Another thought might be to scale her bed back. Ditch the stuffed animals and decorative pillows–stick with just the comforter and her pillow. Maybe she needs to get used to dealing with the “basics” before having the fun of decorating the bed, too.
Reagan … is this your daughter with the broken arm? She sounds creative!
I’m doing a couple of posts this week on parenting. Please pop over and give today’s post a quick read.
Lol, you have to give the kid credit! Who knows, she may actually be a Fly Lady in training. Sounds like a Fly Lady type thing to do – changing your behavior to minimize mess 🙂
Speaking of the Fly Lady, does she give any suggestions on getting the little ones involved with housework? Mikey is still too young obviously, but I’d like to start him early 🙂
My soon to be seven year olds totally sleep on top of their made beds with an extra quilt from Grandma that they fold and put at the end of their bed. Eventually, I figure they will indeed sleep in their bed . . . one less chore for them and their room looks better with made beds… off to the next battle I say. 🙂
When I was little, if I didn’t say please, thank you, yes ma’am, no ma’am, etc … the mother would automatically say, “I can’t hear you.” (This training started around 3 or so and I was pretty stubborn about it. I hated it, but eventually I did it.) As I got older, I was told regularly what a “mannerly child” I was and I came to appreciate the impression it left. To this day, I can’t help but smile when I hear a child being polite.
As for the chores, just be persistent. She’ll come around. The sooner you teach them responsibility, the better. Ideally, it will stick into adulthood.
Anyone who thinks this is too harsh, fine. Go ahead and raise rude little heathens. But you’re doing the right thing, Vicki!
On night two of trying to sleep on the covers, I told her “no” and pulled them back and said she needed to sleep under her sheet. But, I did show her how she could could fold her covers over at 90 degrees and when she gets up in the morning, just pull them back over. 5 seconds = bed made. Hopefully, that will take.
Before I got married I slept on top of my covers with an afghan every night. Saved me tons of time in the morning and my bed was always made. When my kids were younger, they both had daybeds and I always tried to get them to pull out the bottom bed and sleep on that instead of in the top bed. That way, in the morning they just had to push the other one back in instead of making the bed. Of course, as usual, no one listened to me.