Yet...
I was not looking forward to the kids coming in and out with a horde of friends and me left cleaning up their messes.
I decided I was going to get more control.... because I am the boss after all.
Summer rules:
At least 1 job everyday (kitchen, living rooms, etc...)
Clean room every morning including make bed
Get laundry ready for wash
Read every day
Math practice every day
No friends before 10 a.m.
No friends before jobs listed above are done
This has REALLY helped! Every morning the downstairs is looking pretty good. The morning can start to seem pretty long when friends start coming to the house at 8:30 a.m. That frustration is gone. Last summer, my kids really lost some of their mathematical facts when school started again...I refuse to let that happen this year. They're learning responsibility and time management. So far it's working out great!
One thing I haven't figured out yet is sleepovers. I haven't let them have them yet. I told them summer just started and I wasn't ready. So I've got to figure out my rules for sleepovers and then I'll let them have some.
They're pretty good at getting it done. But I find they work the best when I give them this list like this one. I've started making myself these and the boxes bring a smile to my face every time I check something off. And what is really great is sometimes I'll do my run in the morning with Josie and give Ash and Reese their lists. Then when I come home, their jobs are done, they're happy and ready to call friends and go play for the day!
I luv being the boss!
6 comments:
Hey can you come to my house and be the boss for a while? I really need to do something like what you are doing... my house is a disaster.
That's great! I love how organized it is too and how much happier everyone feels too! Keep it up!
You rock! I've been trying to be the boss at my house too. I think my kids actually feel good when they have chores to do. It gives them a sense of accomplishment.:-)I know what you mean about the sleepovers. I've been weighing it and I think I've decided to have Late-Overs instead. That way they get to play more than a usual playdate but then their friend goes home (maybe around 9 or so) and my kids will actually sleep. Someone told me this works better so it's an option too!
I think that's great! I do the same thing here at my house but made a picture chart for my girls to look at and mark off. It includes eating breakfast, getting dressed, doing your chores, scripture reading and working in their preschool books. I also included "being happy!" It keeps them busy in the mornings, cartoons off and my rule is- no friends over until after lunchtime. As for the sleepovers- tell them the can earn one a week and let them "cash" it in for a free-day off of their choosing. Good luck! BTW, I saw you running this morning with Josie- you GO girl!!!
Great bossing! I love it.
Whatever you do about sleepovers, remember you are setting rules that will be in place into their teens. It's good to limit sleepovers, you might also say it has to be with someone you as a parent know well. And you have the right to veto for any reason without saying why. (Sometimes as a mom you just don't feel right about a situation, but it's hard to explain that.) My kids have to be home by eleven, no whining allowed, unless there was a specific activity preplanned. They can always come home and do their jobs then play some more, but I dislike the scheming that begins when it gets close to going home time.
First- we kind of don't do sleepovers. Most of my kids friends aren't allowed, so it hasn't been a big deal. We have "late nights" and kids stay till 10 or 11, then everyone goes home to sleep. I absolutely hate the thought of them at another persons house over night. You never know when a strange cousin or sibling's friend will show up and something bad will happen.... we do allow sleepovers with cousins, and that has been enough to enjoy the fun of an overnight.
Next--- I LOVE the lists! We have been doing the same thing. Some days work better than others, but for the most part they oblige with piano, a worksheet, and 10 pages of reading. I feel so much better the days we do it!
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