Thursday, July 8, 2010

Christmas in July

We're having a little trouble with personal responsibility in our household. I get so frustrated by constantly cleaning up everyone's messes. I grumble to myself "I went to college for this?" I question why I didn't get a "real job" after graduating...then I'd have enough money to hire a full-time nanny and maid, right? Then I remind myself that I truly, way down deep inside, wanted to be a stay-at-home mom and give to most of myself to my kids. What I've discovered, though, is that I end up doing too much for them. This summer I've challenged myself to get the boys more involved in cleaning up.

I gave the boys a ten-minute countdown before getting ready for bed. I instructed them that they needed to put their toys back in the toy box (which, of course, is a challenge in itself, since it's over-flowing). Five minutes go by...nothing. Then another five minutes...still nothing. So, I calmly begin putting the toys in a trash bag. The nine-year-old seems unfazed, but the four-year-old screams, "What are you doing?" I explain that if they really cared about their toys they would have put them away. Next I tell them that these toys will make some underprivileged children very happy when I donate them. The four-year-old doesn't seem to understand fully, but the nine-going-on-nineteen-year-old explains it quite simply. "Don't worry, we'll just ask Dad to buy more." The four-year-old is now excited by the idea of getting new toys. He then asks how long it is before Christmas because he is going to ask the REAL Santa for new toys, not that guy at the mall.

Talk about a plan that back-fired! After I lug the bag of loot to the garage, I announce, "Kiddos, there will be no Christmas in July."

1 comment:

  1. ha! this reminds me of a conversation i had with my kids at the store about 4 years ago. i was buying them one of those huge rubber balls to replace the one that the dog had popped the previous summer. i told them, "now remember, this has to last the whole summer. if you leave it out in the yard and the dog bites it, i'm not buying you another one." ...to which ben pipes up, "that's okay; dad will!"

    -bethany

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