There are very few things that bother me about winter.
Running out of windshield washer fluid is annoying (and can be dangerous).
Frozen van doors.
Not having enough time to dry my hair in the morning.
All the winter gear that my kids require.
Especially when every day after school my front hallway looks like this:
Here’s a breakdown of what it is:
Every day I give them shit a reminder to hang their jackets up, line their boots up by the front door and take their backpacks into the kitchen.
And everyday the hallway looks like this.
Last night I told them that if the hallway looks like this today after school then I am taking their jackets and boots away – just like the Christmas presents. I’m not kidding.
I mean, really…these kids are 5, 9 and 10. They are more than capable of hanging up their own jackets. Right??
I don’t know what it is about after school that makes them dump their stuff and walk away from it. But it is NOT ok with me.
I mean, really…these kids are 5, 9 and 10. They are more than capable of hanging up their own jackets. Right??
I don’t know what it is about after school that makes them dump their stuff and walk away from it. But it is NOT ok with me.
I don’t expect a whole lot of them around the house.
- Put your dirty dishes in the sink.
- Make your bed (the best you can).
- If I leave clean clothes on your bed, put them away.
- If you pee on the seat – wipe it off.
Maybe that’s the problem. They don’t do enough?
How much do you expect your kids to do around the house? Do they have set chores?
How much do you expect your kids to do around the house? Do they have set chores?
Oh boy, I’m getting crazy over repeating the same thing over and over again!! I actually thought that my son (5) was particularly “thick headed” but seems to be a common thing, whew! 🙂
I think the hooks at the right height is a great idea. Make it as easy as possible for them to put things away. We also each have two baskets for scarfs, gloves, bike helmets etc. in the closet – that makes it easier for everybody to know where our stuff is.
Well, ask them if they throw their coats on the floor at school. I do not watch my second grade class deal with their snow gear (yes, we’ve had snow all week here!) in the cloakroom and no problems. Two things, their peers are watching and second, there is a name tag, two personal hooks and a shelf for their inside shoes. It’s a bit hard to go wrong when the space is there. Maybe the kids could take the laundry room or put a storage unit out in the garage for snow stuff and get a space heater so it’s not stiff in the morning 🙂 You have a tough hallway closet for the winter.
My neighbours have four kids and they each have their own cubby unit in the hallway. I know it’s not Home and Style but everyone has to live with the stuff they have. Kids come with lots of gear. Rona sells nice hooks for cheap.
So, when you have one kid and lots of hallway space, EVERYTHING ends up in the hallway. We get lots passed down but M doesn’t need three winter coats. It’s my issue because I like her to have the white one for dressy times, the MEC on for play and the pink because it’s nice for school. She has fake Ugs, real winter boots and two pair of rainboots. She can live without all that gear but I’m attached to it. She does not to hang up her coat and put her shoes any. Our “hallway” is a square and the stairs lead up our living area. She can’t go anywhere until her job is done – neither can I.
I say go for the hooks.
I am one of those good parents that’s was by example. Every Saturday is chore day. We al as a family collectively clean the house. One of my daughters (10) chore is to clean the hallway. That entails sweeping and mopping and wiping down the base boards. Everytime she is done, I make a point to get my jacket and place it on the floor along side with my boots/shoe. It always frustrates her but I make my point and she gets it in a hurry. Well for a couple of days anyhow. Tit for tat I say.
Another reason to loathe winter and envy friends living down South…. they don’t have these jacket and boot issues!!
My kids need reminding, and I grew so tired of saying “Put your jacket away, get your lunch bag, empty your water bottle..etc” so this school year as I turn the key in the front door, I always say “lunch bag, water bottle, jacket, boots”. Just once.
It has worked for the most part, but this January my 7yr old asked me to make a resolution to NOT say that line every day because he is tired of it!! Try being me kiddo!!
My younger ones at least hand me their jackets as I stand near the closet door, so that is good, and it prevents them from deciding to turn the hangers into a weapon (I have boys after all..). I have noticed that many play dates come over and just dump their stuff and leave. I always call them back and ask, “Who picks up your coat at home?” and they reply, “Oh, my mom/nanny does it”. So clearly we are only adding to the problem by doing it for them! Those lazy buggers!!!
Spring come soon!!! Flip flops take up much less space.
My daughter is six, and it’s already starting! Kids are saying she shouldn’t wear certain clothes, because their “babyish”, or not cool. She has natural curly hair like me and her Dad too…I sure hope she doesn’t get the teasing that I did in grade 7 because of it. The most memorable was, “It. looks like you stuck your hair in a clothes dyer to style your hair!” I know it didn’t make sense, but, the kids teased me for a while about that one.
It is clearly a universal problem. Just yesterday my son’s (7) backpack got moved to the front porch and I enjoyed his 5 minutes of panic in the morning while he tried to find it. Today it got emptied and put away. I don’t hold out much hope though. I figure this is a long-term training program and that by the time they have their own places they will understand the value of putting things away, and keeping general order. Or not. But I won’t care because the mess will not be in my house!
Our kids are now trained to put their jackets away, even the youngest (21 mos) because of the death threats… er, I mean daily reminders. The first thing they are required to do when they walk through the door, if it’s not done, no snack, no video games, no dinner, until they do it!
The bags on the other hand seem to get forgotten… and usually their lunch bags are not put away either.
Our do have chores. Eleanor (11) unloads the dish washer when ever it needs to be done. Ethan (9) is responsible for garbage, both collecting from the bedrooms and taking it to the curb.
Rebecca (6) used to be in charge of feeding the animals… but we no longer have any amimals, so we are still decided what she will do. Tom thinks she should be in charge of making sure the lights are all turned off before we leave in the morning, and i was leaning towards dusting.
Good luck!
perhaps because I have been lousy at it??? Or too uptight with my expectations?
Ok. I am so gad to hear that this is a common occurrence in many homes. I may have to cut them some slack and let them keep their coats.
Maybe.
good grief Nancy. So this could go on for another decade or so?? Crap…
Chris!! Fighting the good fight over here too. Only mine are 15 (next week) and 17.
After I shouted so loud my eyeballs were dangling I sent a note of how we can all be happier and unpacking lunchbags was one of them, and not REPEATING myself was up there too. I want to be fun and lovely not a screaming shrew!
TV…that is something that I need to be more diligent with. We don’t allow it on in the morning now but after school as soon as homework is done, it’s on and stays on for the rest of the night. They def don’t watch it all night..but it’s on.
That is the only way I can purge the things that I KNOW they don’t use/want/need.
If I do it when they’re home, then that McDonalds toy that they haven’t looked at in 6 months suddenly becomes their favourite toy.
They don’t even notice when I do it.
I agree with you totally that it’s not a big deal in the grand scheme of life. I try to not sweat the small stuff but I think the problem I’m having with this particular issue has more to do with respect.
Respecting the home we live in and also respecting their own items. I don’t see that when they dump their stuff and step over – or on – everything on the floor.
I hope that if we can teach them respect on a small scale it will trickle down and be there on a larger scale.
It drives me mental too, Christine! do I seriously have to utter the EXACT same words, EVERY DAY??! Put your boots on the mat… empty your book bag of it’s lunch box and homework, and then stow it in the closet. Is that so freaking hard? EVERY DAY?? Oy. I totally get it.
I don’t like a cluttered entrance – if they want to live here too, then they must comply. End of story. GAH!!!
I live by the rule “treat others as you want to be treated” I guarentee slowly but surely your kids will start mimicking your actions, I am not saying there should not be consequence for not doing as they are asked, everyone should carry thier weight, but in the grand scheme, a crowded front hallway is not the end of the world…one day they will move out and be responsible for thier own front door, and it will be perfect……until they have kids!!! I think one of the best ways to treat responsibility to our children is to make it about something that matters to them, not us!!
don’t feel alone, whatever you do. the black garbage bag that sneaks up the stairs does wonders for getting rooms clean. if it’s not put away, it goes to goodwill where someone who wants it can have it. i still don’t know if i’m messing them up for life but i sure do feel better!
i’m facing the same frustrations with my kids (the older 2 are 8 and 7 – old enough for sure to help out). what bothers me is that i have to tell them EVERY DAY. It’s never done of their own volition, and i feel like a grouchy, broken record. the one tool i use that is effective is TV. we’ve dramatically cut it down, and i now use it as a reward if homework is done and chores are complete.