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The Booger Couch: What would you have done?

vera3's picture

Submitted by vera3 on Wed, 04/06/2011 - 6:23pm

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Blended Family Issues

Please let me know your thoughts on the great booger debate of my life and times!!!

1. SS13 picks boogers on couch and flicks them off his fingers.
2. This is an upholstered couch.
3. He is generally a good kid but has this NASTY habit and he does it unthinkingly. I am positive he doesn't do it on purpose to piss me off. He is a very head in the clouds kid and immature for his age.
4. Observed this behavior for months (would see him do it, say a few times a week, because I don't sit there and watch him).
5. Bothered me SO MUCH. Could not bear to sit on couch anymore myself.
6. DH talked and talked to him about it. We put out tissue boxes. If DH saw him picking would go tell him, please use tissues, etc. SS would get tissue, swipe nose, etc. (Well, too late, booger was already picked and finger touched couch.)
7. I finally put my foot down and said SS must either put sheet on couch before he sits down or can't sit on upholstered couch. (Can sit on leather couch in other room, which DH can be in charge of cleaning).
8. SS has been sitting on sheet on couch for a week. (DH of course will be washing sheet.)
9. I think SS is embarrassed because other kids have figured out why he is sitting on sheet.

QUESTION: How many of you would have been more patient/tolerant and who would have put their foot down and stopped the couch boogering??? DH handles this issue and is very polite and kind to him about the sheet thing... but SS knows I am behind it.

stepmomNM's picture

Submitted by stepmomNM on Wed, 04/06/2011 - 6:40pm

Have I got you on this! My ss almost 14 puts his hands down his pants when he watches tv. Then he thinks he is gonna walk around touching everything. It makes me sick! I will not let him on my computer. He never washes his hands. YUCK!

vera3's picture

Submitted by vera3 on Wed, 04/06/2011 - 7:01pm

OH MY LORD. That would drive me even more bananas than the boogers. What do you do? Do you call him out on it? Do you actually say "SS, you need to wash your hands now because I saw you stick them in your pants and I don't want your junk germs around the house?"... omg omg omg

Auteur's picture

Submitted by Auteur on Thu, 04/07/2011 - 7:50am

How about ASS MINING???? Prince Hygiene constantly was digging his behind, handling his wiener and wiping boogers all over the place, walls, clothes, furniture. He's eight now and soon to return (GAG) And I have NEW FURNITURE to boot!!! Thinking of covering everything in disposable plastic!!!

Oh yeah, and I forgot, the Behemoth never trims their nails. Washing hands is absolutely foreign to all three. So is wiping and flushing. The only one that has short nails is VD (SD12) b/c she bites her nails like the Behemoth.

CowGirl's picture

Submitted by CowGirl on Wed, 04/06/2011 - 6:49pm

My SD12 still picks her nose & eats her boogers!!

The couch thing --- no way! After about the 5th time of nagging/asking --- i would make SS sit on the floor or in a little kid chair. That's just nasty! Don't feel bad. SS is old enough to make this choice & he is aware of the issue. It is up to him really try to stop this bad habit.

vera3's picture

Submitted by vera3 on Wed, 04/06/2011 - 7:08pm

Oh this is making me feel so much better! Thank you for the sanity check for all who agreed with what I did!

But if someone thinks I jumped the gun I really want to know their perpsective...

Because sadly, DH would have continued indefinitely with the gentle reminders/tissue box offerings. He would have NEVER made him sit on a sheet or sit on the floor. When I insisted, he agreed and implimented. But he would have never done it on his own. So I am as usual the wicked SM because SK's know I am behind most "conquences".

hismineandours's picture

Submitted by hismineandours on Thu, 04/07/2011 - 7:51am

Well first I would vomit after seeing something like this. Then I would buy him one of those vinyl beanbags and that can be his designated spot to sit in the living room. Dont feel bad for trying to correct this. It is unsantitary and gross for the rest of your family, but he also needs to learn to stop this behavior. If this is a habit what if he's sitting in class and does it there? Let your dh know that part of his job is to teach proper social skills and hygiene-he's been "corrected" a number of times-it is time to give him a consequence that will help him remember.

vera3's picture

Submitted by vera3 on Thu, 04/07/2011 - 1:23pm

I like your beanbag idea very much. It doesn't seem as harsh as a lawnchair which is what I proposed at first, but DH nixed that. I guess the sheet is a compromise. But hell if I am going to give in -- he will sit on that sheet until I'm sure he has stopped.

I feel so good that I put my foot down finally. DH is such a softie and he is so tolerant. I have issues about cleanliness! I'm not OCD but I like clean and neat and I can't stand dealing withothers bodily fluids/semi-solids!

floridagirlal's picture

Submitted by floridagirlal on Thu, 04/07/2011 - 8:34am

I don't have anything to say except that this site is always good for a laugh....and not because I'm laughing AT anyone.....I'm laughing WITH all of you because life is just so full of funny, random crap. The Booger Couch....I'll be laughing about this all day!

vera3's picture

Submitted by vera3 on Thu, 04/07/2011 - 1:15pm

I don't think DH is as amused when I call it that because he feels bad that his son has such an embarrassing and gross habit. But I have to keep myself sane by amusing myself or I will lose my mind! Instead of the big comfy couch it is the big booger couch!

k8tie's picture

Submitted by k8tie on Thu, 04/07/2011 - 9:25am

My SD7 still has accidents every now and then (it used to be almost everyday)so I have to keep waterproof sheets on the couch and recliner because she will be watching TV and just wet herself if she decides that she doesnt want to take the time to get up to go to the bathroom! I am waiting for her to stop so I can buy a new couch because ours is pretty much ruined because of it. You can only flip the cusions so many times and I have gone through numerous bottles of febreeze. Thankfully its not everyday anymore but there is no telling when she will have an "accident" which I dont call them accidents anymore. She does complain that I make her sit on it but I will tell her that when she stops, she wont have to. I hate it when she comes back with "But I cant help it!" Yea right....you CAN help it, you just CHOOSE not to!!

Katie

vera3's picture

Submitted by vera3 on Thu, 04/07/2011 - 1:18pm

So but you put the waterproof sheets on instead of banning her from sitting on it. So you didn't go hard core either!

My first idea was to make him sit in a lawn chair in front of the couch but DH thought that was way too harsh and mean. So I came up with the sheet idea.

Peeing on the couch, OMG your poor thing. If that were the case here I would have no choice but to ban that kid from couch. I can't deal that well...

fredbrown's picture

Submitted by fredbrown on Sun, 09/11/2016 - 12:39am

Some people has that habit of just sticking their booger on couches, safe to say if you have wooden type seats so can easily remove that thing.. on upholstered type, it will hard time removing it.

Rags's picture

Submitted by Rags on Sun, 09/11/2016 - 9:32am

More tolerant? OH HELL NO!

"Pick your nose and wipe it on the sofa one more time and I will spank your ass with a belt! In fact, if I ever see your finger near your nose.... bend over and assume the position!!" Then do it.

Tender for this kind of crap doesn't work. Don't waste your time.

Your campaign of public humiliation is a good one. Keep it up and escalate. Put a molded plastic chair at an isolated side of the room on a plastic tarp. If he wants to sit in the living room and watch TV with the rest of the family he can be in his haz-mat environment or ..... he can quit picking and flicking.

Pretty simple.