Mom on Strike Series – Part 2: Cracking Under Pressure
We aren’t quite through the first week of the mom on strike experiment and I won’t lie…there has already been a few cracks in our house!
Here’s a recap of how it’s going so far:
Mom on Strike Series – Part 2: Cracking Under Pressure
Day 1
Not telling the kids that they need to do “X” is not as easy as you would think. My mom was the first to slip while I was cooking dinner…
The folks live right next door so I had to let them in on my experiment and she was the first one to slip! Gotta love it! As soon as she reminded them of getting their school stuff signed and together for the next day, I did the nonchalant “ah-hem” and she just cringed. It was classic!
Then, I slipped a little (not much) and caught the evil eye from the hubs…oops! He will slip (I just know it) and I will get to return his evil eye look. Just wait and see…it will happen! ;)
What boggled my mind tonight was that the kids actually rinsed their plates after dinner….of course they were praised because that NEVER happens. Maybe they know something is up!
Day 2
The house is getting dirtier and dirtier by the minute. It’s so hard to just sit here and think of all the mess that will need to be picked up when this experiment is over. So far I haven’t cracked, but the husband is getting antsy…
The kids have no clue & quite frankly I don’t know if they are ever going to get a clue! The last two days haven’t even phased them. I am on the verge of pulling my hair out. If you see me in public and I’m missing my hair, you know why!
Day 3
Oh my goodness! THE HOUSE IS A WRECK! I haven’t swept in 3 days. YUCK! GROSS! NASTY! The floor under the kitchen table is littered with cereal, napkins, and shoes. I don’t know how much more I can take. MY OCD is killing me y’all!
On a positive note…the oldest made an effort to get his brother to pick up his snack off the kitchen table before we ate dinner. He won brownie points for a minute, but come bath time…he left his clothes on the floor…SERIOUSLY KID!
I guess we will just give him an “E” for effort. :)
Day 4
My husband is on edge, I am about to lose my mind and the kids are just going about their day with a smile on their face.
This is not going well and I know someone is going to say something soon. I have wanted to for two days, but I don’t want to be the one that cracks under pressure yet…
Later in the day, I failed!
We have had a hiccup in our strike! The hubs CRACKED! I knew he would! The pressure is too much and he can’t take it anymore. LOL WOOHOO!!! I got to give him the “evil eye” and laugh hysterically because I knew he would crack eventually! I’m just glad it wasn’t me that cracked under the pressure first!
As soon as he had enough, he called the kids into the room and had them look around. Of course, they didn’t see any problem until we pointed out all the things that were out of place.
So starting today, they have received a little reminder on their beds for what needs to be completed by them each morning, afternoon, and a simple daily chore. It’s not too much to ask…at least I don’t think it is.
- Kids Daily Checklist (PDF)
I guess we will see how this goes and tweak it as we go along with this experiment because it’s not over yet.
More from the Mom on Strike Series
Take control of your home with this free Cleaning Tasks printable.
Stay tuned for more updates as I take control of my house and the kids learn some responsibility! I hope they do soon!
How do you motivate your kids to pick up after themselves?
Sounds about right…
I just instituted a closed door rule. If your door is open, I get to go rummage around. And possibly misplace a treasure or two if your room is dirty. I do inspections once a week, on Saturdays and that determines how much fun they get to have for the next week.
I can’t even imagine how much restraint you are practicing! I did this in my 5th grade classroom last year and when it works, it works! It’s amazing the potential it has to make kiddos aware of their contributions to the mess. Love the chore charts, too!
My son is really young, but we’re trying our darndest to instill good habits in him. Fortunately/maddeningly, he’s kind of OCD, so he’s so far been very astute about messes. But wow – that’s got to set you on edge! Rooting for you!!
This is probably why I didn’t suffer empty nest syndrome!
There is no way I would be able to do that. I get antsy when just one thing is out of place.
Pretty cool that the hubs cracked before you did. I’m pretty sure it would take a month before anyone in my family cracked. Or until they were out of underwear.