Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Spring Break

It has been a LONG week so far, with the kids being home for Spring Break. Ok it's mainly Jay. I don't ask him to do anything other than clean his room. He shares a room with Jackson yet shares a dresser with Justin. The ONLY thing in the room that's Jackson's is the crib and the bouncy seat that's stored under Jay's bed. Justin's clothes are in there and some wind up on the floor. When I tell Jay to clean his room, that includes Justin's clothes.

ALL the toys are in Justin's and Korinne's room. I expect them to clean their room. Jay plays in there with the toys yet I don't expect him to help clean in there. Justin and Korinne actually race me while I'm cleaning the kitchen and living room. They usually win. Yet it seems to take Jay all day to clean up what would take me half an hour.

He had the nerve to say he didn't think it was fair for him to clean Justin's clothes. I said "Well you drag out and play with the toys that are all over the floor in their room but I don't ask you to help them clean." Then I went further to say, "Every single day, I clean the kitchen. I don't use all those dishes. Every single day, I clean the living room. I don't play with those toys. I don't leave granola bar wrappers or fruit snack wrappers on the floor. And every single week, I do 6 loads of laundry and only a sixth of those clothes are mine. So until you can explain to me how fair it is that I do all that, then and only then can you complain to me about how unfair it is that you have to clean one measly room." He obviously didn't have an answer to that.

I do ask Jay to take the trash out also. All he has to do is walk to the compactor and throw it in. Yesterday, when I asked him to take the one bag out he started pitching a fit and said under his breath, "Sometimes I feel neglected." Now this is coming from a child that is completely spoiled. When he wants something within reason we buy it...he does work for it. It's not as if he says he wants a PS3 and we go out and buy it. But if he says he wants a new book, we're all over that.

I don't like it but the kids do get a weekly allowance. However, they have to earn it. If I have to spend all day coaxing, bribing or threatening them to clean, they forfeit the allowance. But if they do their chores, they earn it. They can also earn money by doing things I didn't ask them to do.

Because I've had Jay steal from me, several times, he's lost his allowance. He's also lost it when I've had to spend all day just getting him to clean his room. (Remember all that's in his room is his bed, Jackson's crib, the bouncy seat under his bed and a dresser him and Justin share.) So He has right now $10. When he does get money, it burns a hole in his pocket and he spends it right away. Justin, on the other hand, has saved his money for a long enough time that he has just over $100. He says he's saving for a tv. And I will buy him that tv because he'll be using his own money and he's earned it.

I have totally digressed! It's Spring Break. I haven't had a moments peace. I haven't been able to nap, which makes me cranky. LOL But despite all the arguments between the kids, we've been having a great time. We've been playing lots of board games. Today we had a water fight. The weather was perfect! I couldn't find our water balloons, so we pulled out the water guns. In the end, we had several neighbor children going in and out of their apartments with bowls full of water. It was so fun watching these kids enjoying themselves.

I had Jackson outside for close to 2 hours, longer than ever. His little cheeks were all rosy and he was so tired from playing so hard.

I know the kids will still get on my nerves tomorrow, but I'm looking forward to having another water fight with them. Or playing another board game with them. I love that their friends want to come inside and play here. At least I know where my kids are and what they're doing.

Ahhhhhhhhhh Spring break!

No comments: