When Mama needs a time out – call S.W.A.T.

A teens messy room

It was a typical Friday night when I had to put in a call to my S.W.A.T. team. I just wanted to relax after a busy week, but as I walked past my son’s bedroom I knew I was in trouble. It was a disaster area by my standards. Clothes waiting to be put away, video games everywhere except on a shelf, and my son in the room content.

I muffled a scream and went for my phone. I needed back up. I called S.W.A.T – Sweet Woman Assisting a Teen. My mother was S.W.A.T. I knew Granny could take care of this situation. She would be calmer than I could be.

Since it was late in the evening, I had to wait until the next day for help to arrive. I gave myself a time out while I waited. I didn’t do anything remotely related to cleaning up behind my son. I read a book and fantasized about my house being clean without having to yell gently encourage my teens to help.

The next day my mother made the 30 minute drive to our house and came ready to work. She kept saying her “baby boy” (the teen) just needed to be shown how to clean his room. She grabbed a broom, dust pan and a trash bag. As she went to work, I called behind her, “anything on the floor can go into the trash.”

Of course I couldn’t really let my mother do all the work for her teenage grandchild, but it was a good way to get her to come for a visit. She admitted that the real reason she came to our house was to visit with the boys, not just to show the “baby boy” how to clean.

Before I relieved SWAT of her duties, we had a nice lunch and spent time laughing at ourselves.

What do you do when you have a situation where you feel you need a little extra help?