New House Rule
My DH has a new house rule for my skids (SS12 and SS16). They will NOT be happy!
"If it's left on the floor, it's garbage."
A few weeks ago, I asked my DH to ask the boys to stop leaving their pop cans all over the place and put them on the kitchen counter (we recycle) and that I will not wash dirty clothes not in the laundry basket (they leave plenty NEXT to it). Ridiculous as they walk right by the counter to get another can of pop. I quit picking them up and the entertainment center now has about 20 pop cans on top and around it. The final straw was when my DH sat on the couch...and heard the crunch of a can in between the cushions. So DH has decided he's tired of them being pigs, and neither he nor I should act as their 'maids' at their ages. 
My solution to this was to
My solution to this was to stop buying cans of soda. They drink it out of a bottle, from a disposable cup, and throw the cup away. If the cup is left lying around, no more drinks other than water from the bathroom except at mealtimes.
We no longer have cans or cups lying around the house!
I no longer buy them soda -
I no longer buy them soda - DH does.
Ah, well, there's three
Ah, well, there's three quarters of your battle right there! I'd say to leave the cans and let HIM pick them up, but the mess would drive me insane.
I feel kind of mean, but...I
I feel kind of mean, but...I hope he does too! After DH sat on that can, he went into their room to see how many were in there and saw the pile of dirty clothes on the floor literally right next to the basket and said he's informing them if they don't put them in the basket when they arrive this weekend, those and all clothes left on the floor from here on out will go into the garbage. When DH makes up his mind about something, he's resolute. I wanted to jump for joy but managed to keep in all inside and say only, "Whatever you say, honey."
}:)
They certainly start as
They certainly start as self-centered and wild. Only the parents can change that.
I have this rule at my house.
I have this rule at my house. If its doesn't belong where it is, and it isn't put away after dinner, it goes in the garbage. When I tidy up I put everything that doesn't belong downstairs on the stairs in baskets and everyone grabs there stuff and puts it away. If there is anything left in the baskets when I go upstairs to get ready for bed, it goes in the garbage. I've only had to throw things out once or twice. SD gets the hint.
I wish someone would come to
I wish someone would come to this conclusion at my house. My SS are 16 and 18 and dont do their own flipping laundry. I've made a decision I'm done. I used to do it all and pile it in their rooms. They had the audacity to say I mixed some of their stuff up once. That was about the start of a crime scene. I know put it in a laundry basic in their room and it never gets put away, therefore I am DONE.
Ooooo...I wish we could have
Ooooo...I wish we could have this rule and apply it to SD15's room, too! SD15 would lose clothes, makeup...all kinds of stuff!
A friend of my Dad's has the
A friend of my Dad's has the PERFECT solutions to the coke/soda pop delimma.
He actually bought a vending machine and installed it in his basement.
He charges $1 per can.
No money? No coke.
Oh, I like that! If only...
Oh, I like that! If only...
It was really cool! He had
It was really cool! He had one of those vintage coke vending machines. Don't know how much he paid for it.
well i guess this means
well i guess this means clothes will get thrown out?
but honestly i dont see thsi solving the soda can problem ....
soda is horribly unhealthy - you all should just stop buying soda period for health and it will solve the can problem.
Agree with you there. I don't
Agree with you there. I don't buy sodas, and if DH wants soda, he has to get it during his work day. Otherwise, that is all that SD15 will drink...no water...and then claim she isn't hungry to eat anything.
Now, in my house, the water bottles are the problem. I get them for DH, because he really has objections to the taste of our tap water...doesn't bother me at all. Naturally, SD15 started complaining about the way the tap water tastes, so DH let her start having bottled waters, too. She is always leaving them laying around...and I can't tell you how many are in her room with only 2-3 drinks out of them! If I find them in the TV room or kitchen, I used them to water my plants if there is water in them...otherwise, I leave them and tell DH that SD15 needs to pick up her crap! Naturally, she tries to blame all the mess on BS19, when he is hardly ever home. Wonder who she will try to blame stuff on when he leaves for college in a couple of months?
We tried the filtered pitcher, but SD15 would drink all the water in the pitcher, and never refill it...so every time DH went to get water, there would be an empty pitcher in the fridge. I've thought about one of those filters for the tap, but I know we would go through filters like crazy, because SD15 would be too lazy to put it back to unfiltered water to rinse off a plate!
Yes, it means the clothes
Yes, it means the clothes will get thrown out.
I was so excited I neglected to mention DH said if they leave soda cans around the house, there will be no more soda.
Yes, soda IS horribly unhealthy (we were allowed 1 can a week when I was a kid). I used to buy it it when I went grocery shopping, but no more. DH buys it now. If it were up to me, they would get one soda a week. But... not my monkeys; not my choice.
When steps would drop
When steps would drop clothing on the furniture it would not be there the next morning. Walking to school in a (too) light jacket was not fun plus the hour spent looking for it wasn't either. It only happened twice for the lesson to be learned.
Did you throw it away or ?
Did you throw it away or ?
How long do you hide things
How long do you hide things before you toss them?
Thankfully, DH won't buy them new clothes/shoes. BM has to do that.
I do the same thing! My SS19
I do the same thing! My SS19 and his GF moved out about two months ago. They left all sorts of stuff all over, under the bed and couches, everywhere. I told them to come get it. They never did and it went in the trash. Except for the baby's things, I have those in my closet. SS21 left dirty clothes after spending the night with SS17 two nights ago. They went in the trash.
SS17 never put away the clothes that I washed, so I stopped washing them. I taught him how to work the front loader and now if he wants clean clothes he can do it himself. He happens to be out of clean clothes and stinks to high heaven, but oh well!
They got a lot better about
They got a lot better about putting away video games after one got ruined by the vacuum cleaner. Didn't see it under the chair.
Such is life!
Too right about the loads of
Too right about the loads of crap they have. My kids have way too many toys! Gathered from all over the show.
Annually I make them go through their room (sometimes twice a year after birthdays and Christmas) and we get everything they haven't played with. Broken things = bin. The rest we pack up and I help them carry them in and let them give the toys themselves to needy children, the toy library and crèches at churches.
We have a baby in the house, anything small and dangerous left lying around is binned. Hair clips seem to be the culprits.
DH did it! Each skid lost
DH did it! Each skid lost socks and almost new tshirts this weekend. The things went into the trash, follewed by coffee grounds and bacon grease. I said nothing while I swept the kitchen floor...
Bag their shit and put it on
Bag their shit and put it on the curb. Then text them that if they want their shit they better go get it before the garbage truck comes or someone takes it.
It works.
DH told them if it when he
DH told them if it when he came back from walking our dog, that it was trash. He came back 15 minutes later, the things were still on the floor, and he called them to come to their room NOW. Said, "I told you to pick it up. Now it's trash. Follow me." Then tossed and added grounds and grease while they watched. SS16 tried the "but I just got that on vacation", but DH waved that off and told him "Tough. When I tell you to do something, I expect you to DO it. This is our home. When Aniki or I tell you to do something, you follow OUR rules."
You need to take DH out for a
You need to take DH out for a nice weekend at a local resort hotel. He earned it!
Have fun.
Special weekend plan in the
Special weekend plan in the works!
Your DH needs to have a
Your DH needs to have a seminar on divorced dad child rearing! "Yes, You Have Balls....Use Them!" LOL
LOL! My DH is a Marine. After
LOL! My DH is a Marine. After having lived through war, he wants his life as peaceful as possible. It's his way or the highway.
My dad is a Marine also.
My dad is a Marine also. There are no better fathers than Marines. Caring, firm, driven, structured, no bullshit. Your Kids are lucky to have him.
They don't always think so,
They don't always think so, but they live with their scrupulous, alleycat BM who thinks children should be yelled at, made fun of when they're bedwetters, and subjected to her and her current spouse's noisy sex sessions. I'd call her a pig, but I don't want to insult pigs. My apologies to alleycats...
Sorry - yes, they are lucky and so I am. My DH rarely gets angry. If an issue comes up, he wants to resolve it and move on. I've only seen/heard him yell at the skids once in 4 years and that was to get out of the kitchen because we had a grease fire. He has a very commanding presence and can shame them with a single look. Lord, I love that man!
Fortunately I won the parent
Fortunately I won the parent lottery with mom too. Mom and dad celebrated their 52nd anniversary earlier this month.
Too bad your Skids have to deal with the shallow and polluted half of their gene pool that they inherited from their BM.
Stay happy!
You're very fortunate! BM is
You're very fortunate!
BM is a piece of work. She's a queen and her children are her minions. The things I could tell you...
Have a wonderful day!
whatever drugs your husband
whatever drugs your husband was on, make sure he keeps taking them!!!!!!!!!!!!! that's awesome!!!!
Just refilled his
Just refilled his prescription!