Violet, a child genetically bred to be the most stubborn person on the planet (or one of the two most), refuses to clean her room. And we're not going to clean it for her.
Almost everything in her room is currently piled into two contractor garbage bags where she has two options:
1. Remove the items and put them where they belong.
2. Leave the items in the bag and they go out to the trash on Thursday.
It is so infuriating to watch money, quite literally, be tossed out with the trash.
This evening, Violet asked to go to bed after dinner - because she would rather go to bed than clean her room.
For the past four days, our house has been an unhappy house of yelling, crying and screaming.
We're at the point now where we cannot let her win.
So frustrating to watch a child behave this way.
So frustrating to see your child be so lazy.
So frustrating to have to let the process play out.
So frustrating to work all day and then listen to screaming all night.
At this point she's going to be lucky if the stuff isn't in the trash in the morning.
UPDATE: Violet stayed up until almost 10PM and she cleaned her room. Sure she was impossible to get out of bed this morning...but her room is clean.
8 comments:
Put it in the trash! My dad would walk around with a trash bag and throw out our stuff the first time we refused to pick up when we were asked to. It went directly into the trash and was not replaced. If we wanted to keep something we had to run ahead of him and grab it and put it away, but he was fast and we always lost something. Sure did teach Rebecca and I to be neat and tidy!
I too have thrown things away....but I am afraid they have too much stuff to ultimately care enough to pick up their toys.
My new ploy is to only let them play with things like play doh, moon sand, paint etc. IF they clean up. I spent two hours being really fun/non shouting Mum with moon sand yesterday so it was a good treat. Will let you know if it works!
I meant to add good luck!!!
Instead of throwing it away, you should make V accompany you to a donation box, the Salvation Army, Goodwill, or a children's shelter and have her give the toys she doesn't appreciate to kids who don't have anything. It may lesson the sting of 'throwing money away.' Every 6 months or so (before her birthday and Christmas) I make her clean out the toys she has outgrown to give to the children that don't have anything. So far it works because she appreciates what she does have and it was hand picked by her. Good luck!
Keep up the good fight. Stand strong! It will be worth it in the long run even if it takes her til the age of 35 to figure out that you were right. Good luck!
Definitely donate the stuff. But do it secretly - don't turn this around into a feel good moment.
I will throw away the piece of crap toys, but the expensive/nicer ones I keep. . . Which does mean I have to sort through the bag when I have done this in the past. Then I use those toys as incentives/rewards for good behavior!!
Glad to hear she finally cleaned her room!
I'm with Spatlana. I also appreciate all your life experience in prep for what's ahead for us!!
Post a Comment