Hubby was cooking a fabulous meal (he's a fantastic cook, by the way, lucky us!) so while he finished what he was doing, I starting taking our bed apart because I wanted to wash the sheets, and get a couple other household chores out of the way.
Later, while we were eating, I presented my talking points. Very generally, they were:
- Cleaning up
- Attitudes
- Mornings
- Responsibilities
- School Work
- Tablets
- Church
- Arguments
- Animals
Among other things.
Hubby provided input as we went and was very supportive. (Thanks, babe!)
Basically, the message was this: You each have responsibilities. You each know what your responsibilities are. It is your job to do them, without constantly being reminded, or there will be consequences. Respect, when speaking to your parents or other adults, is required - no exceptions. Schoolwork is your priority. Church time is for church. And "No," does not mean a jumping-off point to start negotiations, it means, "No." Period.
I'd rather be the mean mom now while I still have a little bit of hope of molding my kids into decent adults. I'm their mom first, and their friend second.
I'm very lucky, though. Both my kids are comfortable talking to me - about pretty much anything - so I must be doing something right.
It's early yet, and the impact of this meeting has yet to really be tested and verified. But I can tell you this morning was much easier than yesterday morning. Boy-child got up, did what he was supposed to do - all of it - without being reminded every step of the way. Girl child still languished in bed acting the princess, but she didn't have an attitude problem. Both of these things I would consider vast improvements.
Anyway - it will be what it will be. I can only hope I don't have to reiterate my message and that Hubby and I can finally have a little bit of peace from the chaos.
Wish us luck!
TTFN
JMS
JMS
No comments:
Post a Comment