Lawn Boy...

You may recall a post last month

about getting the kids to take on 

chores around the house....  

There was some fear and trepidation, 

on my part, regarding rebellion, consistency 

and my own ability to follow through...  

We are now nineteen days 

into the first month of "Operation Help Out", 

and I have to say, so far, 

things are going according to plan...  

Month One is about keeping bedrooms tidy

every day...  

While Jack complained at the outset 

and a couple of times he didn't care 

if he lost a dollar for the day, 

overall, the rooms have stayed neat 

and picked up...

  

I wonder if the kids realize that the road 

to a disastrous bedroom is the daily accumulation 

of clutter...  

If their rooms stay picked up, 

then the gradual foolishness cannot grow 

into a crap-filled rat hole...  

Probably, they are simply annoyed 

with having to attend to their bedrooms daily, 

but I don't care...  

Their rooms are thrillingly tidy...  

I figure the message will sink in
when they are about 35...   

June is "Keep A Bathroom Clean" month...

  

I started planting seeds with Kate yesterday, 

as I demonstrated how to 

deep clean the bathroom she uses

 and what goes into a daily "wipe and swipe"...  

I purchased safe bathroom cleaning products 

and placed them in personal caddies

 in each of the bathrooms

the kids will be responsible for keeping up... 

Kate was psyched to use the sprays and scrubs 
to make the biffy sparkle...  

Jack, however, scoffed and declared

 he was NOT going to clean any johns...  

I explained to him that his precious jar of cash 

was tied to bathroom cleanliness next month, 

which he did not appreciate...  

Once he learned that the deep clean 

was required just once a week
and that the daily wipe and swipe 

were quick and minimal, 

I could see glimmers of acceptance... 

I will hold onto that smidgen of agreement
until June 1 arrives...  

Last weekend, his dad added lawn work
to Jack's repertoire 

of new chores and at first it looked 

like full mutiny was on deck...  

T$ was patient as he taught an irritable Jack 

the safety hints for using an electric mower and edger...  

Despite his initial crappy attitude, 

I could see Jack begin to enjoy

 working with loud machinery...  

The lawn was a bit of a hack job, 

but it was fine for a first effort...  

That was over a week ago 

and today was the day

 for Jack to tackle the lawn by himself...  

Let me preface this by saying 

the total square footage 

of our front and back lawns 

equal a miniscule model of Lichtenstein...  

Tom used to mow lawns 

at his dad's factory in Ohio 

that were the size of a football field...  

As a kid, I used to mow our large expanse of grass, 

hills included, with a heavy gas push mower...  

Jack's task is lilliputian in comparison...  

Anyway, today I helped him 

pull the equipment from the garage 

and then he was on his own, 

with me supervising, of course...  

It was encouraging to see Jack attempt
to mow carefully, with straight lines...  

He took pride in his workmanship, 

which is ultimately the goal, right?

He can boast to his friends, 

who aren't allowed to use can openers yet, 

that he mows the lawn...  

He can say he wields a weed whacker with finesse 

and that he is contemplating

 starting his own lawn service...  

All of this makes me want to 

jump for joy!

This was the whole reason for opening myself 

to the pain of arguments and whining...  

Getting my kids to feel confident doing tasks 

that will help them in adulthood...   

Okay, so I am celebrating too early...  

There are months of other jobs, 

chores and projects to accomplish, 

but the beginning looks promising...

 

I'll keep ya posted!