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I hate my living room being hijacked!

Focusonthepos's picture

13 & 11 year old skids get here and immediately lay on my couch and put their YouTube videos on our TV that last for hours, use my throw blankets, eat a ton of food and even ask their dad to get them drinks. You have legs! A lot of the time he will tell them to get their own drinks but always goes around and cleans up their wrappers and dishes. They are great kids so i try to let this go but I hate feeling pushed to the side in my own living room! I understand if I had bio kids this would also probably happen but I'd probably make the rule watch YouTube in your rooms! They don't have TV's in their rooms but do have plenty of other devices they could watch them on. It's not like I watch TV anyway but blasting annoying YouTube videos in our living room hijacks our entire first floor since it's open concept!

Sad Girl's picture

Maybe try to tell them to watch it for an hour (or whatever is okay with you) and after that time go to their room.

floralsm's picture

If I'm sick of listening to their loud shows in the living room I just kick the skids outside and they wrestle and flip on the trampoline. I make them use the laundry door (at the other end of the house to come back inside and lock the door and close the blinds so my DD1 isn't enticed to go out there. Don't be afraid to stick up for yourself. I also make them come inside and clean their rubbish and they run back outside again. 

Sad Girl's picture

Right. I don't let my 19 months old DD watch tv whenever she wants. Livingroom is made for all family members to feel comfortable not only kids and their needs.

floralsm's picture

Yep my 21 month old throws herself on the floor if I turn her show over and I ignore her and watch my show. I just explain to her it's Mummy's turn and the tv isn't hers and to go find a book for me to read with her. She gets up eventually and finds a book. Its just persistent parenting. Skids don't have that unfortunately.

Someoneelse's picture

I used to tell my kids (they are 18 and 19) that dora had to take a nap lol they were little and believed it lol

Survivingstephell's picture

Turn off the WiFi for awhile.  Put your throws away before they come over.  Rearrange the furniture so it's not focused on the tv.  "Reno" the living room so it's a mess and they have to go to their rooms.   Or be bold and pick up the remote and put your show on.  My turn now. 

Cover1W's picture

1. Remove your throws from the area before they arrive.

2. Is your DH buying "extra" food, i.e. things only the skids like? Snacks and extras should be on him. I've made it clear I help with basic groceries but it's on him for special stuff.

3. Make the TV off limits at certain times. There are timers you can use to plug in devices, esp. good if the timer cannot be seen. If the skids have devices then after a certain time they must leave and it's adult time. DH didn't really enforce this until I started leaving him in the living room with SDs and watched things on my device alone. It took a couple months but even now he tells YSD16 to amscray now and then because he wants to hang out with me.

4. Let your DH keep cleaning up after them. Never ever help if he doesn't allow you to set rules.

5. They are good kids maybe in public but entitled brats at your home. There is a difference.

Thumper's picture

Hit your reset button.

New set of rules, starting tomorrow.

. NO youtube in living room, bing bam boom.

 Is there a place you can make a kid play room?

Your dh is responsible for making sure they clean up after themselves. Let him do it. ---start looking for a cleaning lady if necessary. Wink

 

 

 

 

simifan's picture

Bah. I hate it when the formattting doesn't work & you look like an idiot. 

ESMOD's picture

It is time for new rules.  The living room is "off limits" for "hanging out".. unless it is an activity that encompases the rest of the household ie you.

TV's are "dirt cheap"... for under 200 dollars you can get a fairly nice sized one... 

If there is another space in the house that could be used as a kid play room.. basement with craigs list couch and bean bag chairs and TV with mini fridge and throw blankets of their dreams.. lol. do it.

If not.. then make their room that place.. if it means buying a bit of beanbag seating.. and putting up a decent sized TV and let them know that is where they are welcome to use their devices.

 

strugglingSM's picture

My SS does this, but he watches YouTube loudly on his phone...totally preventing anyone else from watching the tv. If you're going to be antisocial and watching your phone, do it in your room, don't take up common space. I also hate it when they lie on the living room couch and put their faces all over my decorative pillows. 

gymgoer's picture

This sounds just like my SD - she's 17. Comes in, hijacks the living room and the TV, leaves food and dishes all over(and wrappers), and doesn't clean up after herself. The TV would be too loud, she would watch things that weren't appropriate for my youngest daughter(age 9) and she would not budge. She would watch the TV and be on her phone at the same time. This was a daily thing, sometimes for hours and hours and hours. I was sick of it. The rest of us would be busy around the house, doing things, getting work done, getting chores done - just living. And this snotty 17-year-old girl would be in her bathrobe for hours per day, eating all of our food and watching the TV and phone all day.

Recently, I got sick of this stuff going on. So, I did something about it. Now, when I see this "behavior" going on, I come in and turn the TV volume off on the TV - and sometimes turn the TV completely off. I don't say a word, I just come in and turn it off or turn it down so low that nobody can hear it. My SD blew a gasket. And still, I do it. Because  I don't care - at all. If she has the obnoxious arrogance to come to our home and act that way, then I have the obnoxious arrogance to turn the TV off so the rest of us don't have to listen to it or watch it.

At this point, she knows the TV is fair game. If she watches it, I'll turn it off. So, she's been spending more time in her room. She's the most arrogant stuck-up snob I've ever met. Even her classmates  are realizing now what a snob she is, and how arrogant she acts around them. Probably why she is friendless. I'm done with her coming in and "taking over" the house. My job, at this point, is just to make her existence here as uncomfortable as possible. I throw away her belongings on a daily basis now. She puts her dirty shoes on our dining room table(a common occurrence), I throw them every which way in the backyard without a care - she can go get them herself. For every piece of trash she leaves in the living room, kitchen, dining room, I throw away an equal amount of belongings she has in her room. I'm just done with the snobby behavior of this brat.

Stepdrama2020's picture

So many SM;s dont want backlash but they dream of doing this.

Im glad you dont give AF, you let the entitled snot know you give what you get.