It is Friday morning. A gloomy Friday morning. The sky is heavy grey and the ground is wet from rain. Friday is garbage collecting day.
At 7.35am Nelly Bo (12 soon 13) walks out the door. Making sure she has money for lunch, her test signed and a snack packed...
25 minutes later Luca Bo (10) walks out the door. Making sure I have packed his lunch, that he has his snack and all his school books in his bag.
At 8.20am I get ready to take Emmy Bo (7) to school on my bike. I open the door and I can not believe that the garbage bags are still standing there - on the step, RIGHT in front of the door - untouched.
The thought of seeing 2 children leaving the house, jumping OVER the trash (if not FALLING over it as they rush out the door) NOT bringing the trash when walking down the road to the pick up point, makes me laugh. I can't do anything else although this will be a subject to discuss at dinner tonight.
No instructions were given. I just thought, in my humble and maybe sheepish way as a mother, that putting the garbage in a place that would force my, at this point very mature children, to stumble over it would signal to their brains that:
"Aha! It is garbage day. I'll pick up a bag and bring it with me down the road."
Well, I failed on that one didn't I? Ha ha ha! Lesson learned. Communication is essential, no reading mind techniques work... So what now? I guess I am bringing the trash down the road. Happy Friday!
Kärlek
Annette
When I was 25 years old and had just started a family, I would never, not in my keenest dreams, have thought that I would still clean behind my men's back a quarter of a century later. Something went terribly wrong! Now and then (more often lately) I dream of a tiny apartment for myself where I just have to do my own chores. Happy Friday! (Garbage collection day is Thursday)
ReplyDeleteHaha, I must laugh. It is the same here. And have you noticed that the key to the dishwasher is inside og your hand?? I do the same with the garbage, they must climb or fall over it to get out, but still they manage to leave without it. Strange.. Have a nice week end.
ReplyDeleteTelepathy would be great wouldn't it! I can't believe that others walk over stuff left at the bottom of the stairs rather than take it up - even when it doesn't belong to me! Keep smiling! :) x
ReplyDeleteTake heart lovely, mine would've done exactly the same.....I've come to the conclusion that all children....no matter how mature......will not take responsibility for simple household chores such as this, until they have their own home.....I'm think it's an unwritten rule of childhood that us parents have Not been warned of. Have a lovely.....trash free....weekend. Sassy -xXx-
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad this a problem for other people too! My boys are 15 and 18 and will move the recycling box away from the front door to get out, never thinking to put it at the kerb for collection. This really made me smile!
ReplyDeleteA universal parenting problem, they don't do anything unless specifically (and loudly) ordered to do so! My 3 and 5 year olds, on the other hand, will actually fight each other to be the most helpful to Mama-hilarious!
ReplyDeleteThey are all the same. Mine have to go and empty the wastebaskets around the house on Sunday nights for the Monday morning collection. We have lived here for almost 8 years and nothing has changed...only they still need to be reminded!!
ReplyDeleteOne of mine moved to uni this year though and rang me the other night really upset as she is the only one cleaning the flat and says that no one else ever takes the rubbish out!!!
We may not see the results of our input at home, but it is probably ingrained in them somewhere!!
Liz
Sounds so very familiar!
ReplyDeleteI once put a bag right in front of the front door, inside the house, with the treats in it that she was going to hand out in her class, because it was her birthday. I told her the treats were inside that bag. When she was about to leave the house I noticed her stepping over the bag to reach the front door. She had already forgotten what was inside! Absent minded although it was her birthday!
(Of course I told her not to forget the bag...)
I laugh, for my kids will do the same, even when it's verbally suggested! Laughing is the best way...or we'd forever be in a bad mood.lol
ReplyDeleteDon't feel bad, mine (14 and 16) would have walked right past it as well.
ReplyDeleteI had to giggle! My husband puts the trash in the back of the truck to take to the dump and it ends up spending the day with him. A few times, it's gone on vacation! It's become the family joke! I really enjoy your blog. Robin
ReplyDeleteas the Mother of 3 (Now grown children) I totally understood your point of view... and then I Had to chuckle as one of my daughters, now 28 and living on her own but in a house with others: placed a bag of brand new clothes on the front porch to later bring into the house as she was dealing with a new kitty she had rescued and did not want her new stiff to become flea infested left said bag for later ~ got caught up in the kitty's bath and then changing into work clothes and then left the house via a different door only to come home from work and the bag was gone... AGAIN no communication involved and lo and behold one of the house mates believing it was garbage and that it WAS garbage day kindly dumped her bag for her!!! Some days there just is no winning... BUT communication is truly the lesson needed for so many!!!!
ReplyDeleteLove reading your blog! Thanx for always delighting me!
My problem is getting anyone in the house to bring the trash bins back up to the house, they will drive around them and then walk right in the house leaving the bins at the curb.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Meredith
Well here I am all the way over here in Michigan and we have the same problem (sadly even my husband (aka my 5th child who will NEVER grow up and leave home) can be just as 'non observant' ... ehem...
ReplyDeleteyeah...I feel your pain Annette!
It is amazing what people and children will walk past isn't it!! xx
ReplyDeleteAnnette amiga,aqui também acontece isso,rsrs.Estou encantada como seu saco de lixo ser muito limpo,gostei disso.Boa semana.Beijo.Valéria.
ReplyDeleteWhat seems to make perfect sense to us mothers doesn't always make any sense at all to our children!
ReplyDelete