Muffins with Mom – New Year, New Goals for Helpful Kids

 

Sometimes siblings help each other, but will they help their parents?

It’s a new year, time to set new goals or in my case, new rules. Are there certain times that your kids are more helpful than other times? Although I refer to them as kids here, my sons are young adults. While they are still in the midst of virtual learning, it’s time to set new house rules or reintroduce them to old rules.

Here is my working list of rules:

1.      Chores still exist, you must take part

2.      You must knock on a closed bedroom door

3.      Coats must be hung in closets not on the back of chairs for days, and days

Let’s explore this list.

Chores

I asked one son to move an item to the basement. He assured me it would get done. An hour later, the item remained in the same spot. No, I take that back, the item was moved closer to the basement door.

In this instance I guess I should have set a SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relatable, Time-bound) goal. I could have made this specific and measurable by saying, “I need you to take “x” in the basement within the next half hour.”

I told my son if he preferred, I could go back to his childhood and count to three as he completed his task. His response was an eye-roll. His face broke into a smile as he said, “I remember you used trick us to get us to do something by saying, let’s see how fast you are.”

Knock on bedroom doors

Knocking on closed bedroom doors has always been a rule. This time my son broke the rule, and it was a tad bit unpleasant for him. It happened at night. I was sitting in bed with a book, the TV was on  and the ceiling light with daylight bulbs, shined brightly. At some point I fell asleep in the midst of all of this.

My son told me the next morning that he got more than he bargained for. Because he saw the light on, he thought I was sitting up awake. He entered my room in search of toothpaste from my bathroom. What he got was an eye full of thigh twisted with the bedsheet barely covering it. In his words, “She must be having a hot flash.”

He was correct, a full- blown hot flash was in progress. I asked my son did he scream at the sight. He said he was screaming on the inside. My son said he will never enter my room again without knocking.

Disclosure: I was wearing pajamas, but my son couldn’t tell by my exposed thigh.

Coats must be hung in closets

I came home from the grocery store with an armful of groceries, you know, two bags on each arm so a second trip to the car is not needed. My son came to the rescue after I pushed the front door open with my free, foot. He grabbed the bags and scurried off to the kitchen with them.

My other son came over and slid my coat off for me then he said, “Where do you usually put this?”

“In the coat closet. It’s located near the front door.”

My sons don’t use the closet much. They leave their coats and jackets on the back of the chair nearest to them. When I hang up their coats they become confused, saying things like, “Ma have you seen my jacket?”

New year, new goals. My sons are helpful, sometimes it just takes longer than I’d like.

What house rules have you had to adjust or enforce lately?

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