Tuesday night was Kaitlyn's final band concert of 6th grade. They actually are doing pretty good. They are finally sounding like a band and not a crashing train. I am sure 7th grade will be a better improvement still.
Kaitlyn and her friends Kelsey and Kylie Patton who play in the band with her.
( enlarge to show detail) LOL
This is Kaitlyn's room before the concert. Actually this is what her room looked like after I pulled all of the clothes out from under her bed, church clothes stuffed in dresser drawers, and clothes that I pulled out from under her covers. Can you believe all of the ways a 12 year old will hide clothes so she doesn't have to clean up? I am pretty lenient when it comes to the girls rooms. I like them to be spotless but I have got to the place I make them clean up once or twice a week and keep the door closed between times. One thing I cant stand is when they leave their clothes on the floor. I consider it rude and disrespectful. I buy them nice clothes, was, dry and fold them so the least they can do is pick them up and put them away. I have found a way to keep them from leaving them in a heap on the bathroom floor after their shower. I take them and they don't get them back for a week. It kills Megan since she is in a stage where she wears the same three outfits all of the time. She now picks up the bathroom. Well if you see Kaitlyn wearing the same outfit for a while it is because this mean mom is showing some tough love. I figured you can say something till you re blue in the face but until you do something they just wont listen. So, I got two(yes two) trash bags and made her put all of her clothes, that were under her bed and stuffed in drawers and crevices, in them. It was two trash bags full!!! She now has to keep her room clean to earn them back. I just want to report that her room has been clean for two days now.
( enlarge to show detail) LOL
This is Kaitlyn's room before the concert. Actually this is what her room looked like after I pulled all of the clothes out from under her bed, church clothes stuffed in dresser drawers, and clothes that I pulled out from under her covers. Can you believe all of the ways a 12 year old will hide clothes so she doesn't have to clean up? I am pretty lenient when it comes to the girls rooms. I like them to be spotless but I have got to the place I make them clean up once or twice a week and keep the door closed between times. One thing I cant stand is when they leave their clothes on the floor. I consider it rude and disrespectful. I buy them nice clothes, was, dry and fold them so the least they can do is pick them up and put them away. I have found a way to keep them from leaving them in a heap on the bathroom floor after their shower. I take them and they don't get them back for a week. It kills Megan since she is in a stage where she wears the same three outfits all of the time. She now picks up the bathroom. Well if you see Kaitlyn wearing the same outfit for a while it is because this mean mom is showing some tough love. I figured you can say something till you re blue in the face but until you do something they just wont listen. So, I got two(yes two) trash bags and made her put all of her clothes, that were under her bed and stuffed in drawers and crevices, in them. It was two trash bags full!!! She now has to keep her room clean to earn them back. I just want to report that her room has been clean for two days now. Some days I feel so inadequate to be a parent and I don't have the slightest idea to what
I am doing. I can only hope and pray that they still like me when they grow and leave me. Someone please tell me it gets better! Sorry for the venting of a guilty mom......
5 comments:
Okay, I'm depressed :-) I have 2 girls just like your Kaitlyn and have been holding out hope that they will change some day. I like your remedy. It looks like it might would take 15 min. to clean up the clothes other than that the room looks good. When your 12 that must look like a load of work. Good Luck! Fun post really
Heather, I LOVE your idea!! I am going to 'borrow' it from you if you don't mind!? I agree that it how I feel about the clothes on the floor too! And cleaning up the bathroom after bathtime is also a biggie with me! My 9 yr.old also has certain clothes that she likes to wear and I think this will be very effective! You have NO reason to feel guilty! Go mama, go! ;o)
great idea. Hope that I remember it when Mia gets there.
that was a good. i'm gonna put that one in my file.
Good Job Heather! I have done that little trick many times on 3 different kids. It really hits home when some of their room contents hit the dumpster on trash day. I don't like to think of myself as a mean mom either but I guess I am at times. Kids like (believe it or not) structure and boundries. I don't know if it gets any easier because every day is a new challenge, especially the more kids you have. But don't feel guilty, it wasn't that mean, it's just teaching responsibility, a virtue that is lacking in today's kids!
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