I am thinking that I should make our family a commune.
Yup as I write it I realize I am going to do it-it’s brilliant.
As you know I have a history of changing chores and
allowance and the way we do this about three times a year. If there was a
center for people with an obsession with this I would be there. My husband
often comments that instead of writing about it so much and planning it why don’t
I just friggin clean a toilet?
Good point. (I will deal with that in psychotherapy promise!!)
Anyways I realized that last night if I was just really calm with the kids and
said “lets’ all clean up together” as opposed to “please go clean up and tell
me when you are done while I work on email”…there was a considerable change in attitude.
Shocking eh? (I suck in many parts of parenting. This is
one)
Right now they get allowance according to responsibility and
attitude and quality of chores-after
years of resisting this tying allowance to chores. I mean after all aren’t you
part of the family and generally all pigs???
Anyways I digress.
From now on I will have a list of chores they are responsible
for individually but at end of month a pot of money…(ok maybe not a pot but
some money). The three kids will decide who gets how much!!!! Genius!!!!
This occurred to me when I have noticed that Beauty’s
newly decorated room is soooo tidy and super organized but yet her towel in the
bathroom is always on the floor-her clothes sometimes end up on counters in
kirtchen. When I asked her about this she said “my brothers are too messy for
me to care about family spaces”
Aha!
Commune. Yes. Won’t my husband be excited to see we have
shifted chore strategies yet again???
