When my sister and I would do our chores, mom and dad let us blast music, sing and dance. As long as we got it all done they were fine having fun with it. We'd toss laundry in piles to the beat, boogie around with a broom and one time I did drop a dish as it slipped from my hand while spinning but we cleaned that up too

:laugh: This is awesome!! Reminds me of that movie with Cher (name of which escapes me?) :bigsmile:

When my sister and I would do our chores, mom and dad let us blast music, sing and dance. As long as we got it all done they were fine having fun with it. We'd toss laundry in piles to the beat, boogie around with a broom and one time I did drop a dish as it slipped from my hand while spinning but we cleaned that up too

LOL I still blast music when I clean. The kids expect it now. We always joke that the neighbors know when I'm cleaning cause we play the music really loudly

Hell yeah! And dancing while cleaning burns more calories too!

@Anna - Cher was in a movie? O___O;

I am afraid though, that if I don't get control of the mess, he will learn that a messy house is acceptable.

You just have to ramp it up over time. When my son was 3, he did “cleaning” that wasn’t real (that is, I would clean with him). Then, when he got older I would make him do some things knowing I’d have to go behind him (like vacuuming and his room and the car). Now, he does his bathroom, his bedroom, the backseat of the car (and wash the car- but most kids think that’s fun, not work) and I’m having him “wash” dishes that I’ve already cleaned or are only lightly soiled. Soon he will wash them for real.

As he’s became more capable the house is cleaner overall because I have more time for deeper cleaning elsewhere. He’s now used to a “guest ready” clean house where the only constant offender is dishes in the sink.

Now that he’s become quite a social butterfly, the impact of having a clean house when friends show up is a huge motivator!

I agree. I started my kids young. First, they had to pick up their toys. The older they got, the more responsibility they were given.

I have 3 kids. They outnumber me. I work as a teacher. (And before anyone thinks that means I only work from 7:30-3:30, please just save it. LOL ) I leave my house around 6:00a.m. because I commute to work about an hour each way. I am not one of those teachers who sits behind a desk while her students do busy work. No... when my students are in the room, I don't even have a desk. I teach. I do what I'm supposed to do. Which also means I have a TON of work to do later. I stay at least an hour or more after the students leave, which puts me getting home around 6:00 p.m. a lot of times. Sometimes later. Of course, there are the doctor's appointments and the parent/teacher conferences (for my own children) and football games and other activities which I have to be the parent for. Anyway, what I'm saying is... I'm busy. Always. I don't watch T.V. I couldn't even tell you what is popular on television right now. Yes, I get on here sometimes to unwind... but, gosh, we all need some unwinding, and this at least gives me a sense of interaction with other adults.

Back to my original thoughts... my kids have to help. We chose not to move again (due to other circumstances, we had to move twice last year). So, with me commuting to and from work, my kids know they have to help. Do they always do it without me griping about it? No. But they do help. They each have responsibilities.

There is no other parent in their lives. Their father died about seven years ago. They do have grandparents, but not the kind that are involved in everything. Both of my parents are older and have health issues. They have helped in the past as much as they could, but now they really can't help much. We do live on their dad's mother's property, and she lives right across the drive with her husband. She helps in the sense that she is always here. If I work late, the kids can go get a snack at grandma's house, and if an emergency happens, she is over there.

So.. I understand your dilemma. LOL But I really like P's advice. Sometimes, we have to downsize, make our lives a bit simpler, just so we can function and maintain sanity.

When my sister and I would do our chores, mom and dad let us blast music, sing and dance. As long as we got it all done they were fine having fun with it. We'd toss laundry in piles to the beat, boogie around with a broom and one time I did drop a dish as it slipped from my hand while spinning but we cleaned that up too

LOL I still blast music when I clean. The kids expect it now. We always joke that the neighbors know when I'm cleaning cause we play the music really loudly

Hell yeah! And dancing while cleaning burns more calories too!

@Anna - Cher was in a movie? O___O;

Yeah, she's been in quite a few. Have you never seen Witches of Eastwick?? I guess you were an ickle baby when that was out.... ahhhhh

I believe the movie you are talking about is mermaids.

When my sister and I would do our chores, mom and dad let us blast music, sing and dance. As long as we got it all done they were fine having fun with it. We'd toss laundry in piles to the beat, boogie around with a broom and one time I did drop a dish as it slipped from my hand while spinning but we cleaned that up too

LOL I still blast music when I clean. The kids expect it now. We always joke that the neighbors know when I'm cleaning cause we play the music really loudly

Hell yeah! And dancing while cleaning burns more calories too!

@Anna - Cher was in a movie? O___O;

Yeah, she's been in quite a few. Have you never seen Witches of Eastwick?? I guess you were an ickle baby when that was out.... ahhhhh

I believe the movie you are talking about is mermaids.

Yeaaaah, that's the one!! With a teenage Winona Ryder too!! :flowerforyou: