1. Wasted energy.
Quit leaving the lights on when you leave the room or the house. “It takes a millisecond to flip a switch. I am going to start deducting FPL from your college fund.”
2. Half-empty water bottles.
“I know you see a partially consumed water bottle sitting on the floor in the living room next to the sofa that’s been sitting there for two days. That should be YOUR clue to water the plants or the dog.”
3. Dead houseplants.
“They are depressing.”
Seriously, kids, I will NO LONGER accept those two things IN THIS HOUSE! Suppose you see a partially consumed water bottle sitting on the floor in the living room next to the sofa that’s been sitting there for two days. That should be YOUR clue to water the plants or the dog.
4. Empty rolls on the toilet tissue dispenser with half-used rolls sitting on the back of the toilet.
“Really? COME ON!”
5. A disgusting microwave.
I put this one at number five on purpose: Five minutes is too many minutes to heat your food. My kids do this; yes, they set the microwave to five minutes. “Just because you know, it’s going to take you five minutes to run upstairs and change/brush your teeth/get your laptop/etc. That doesn’t mean that’s how long your food should cook for it to be hot when you come back. Please cover your food when you use the microwave. It’s both embarrassing and infuriating that the microwave at work is cleaner than the one at home.”
6. Last-minute project completion.
“Unnecessary cramming is for dummies. You’re no dummy, are you?? If it’s due in two weeks, you get it done in a week and a half. If your partner didn’t do their part, you do it (within a week and a half) and don’t hang out with that dummy ANYMORE!”
7. 10X more screen time than clean time.
“No, I should’nt have to shut the wifi off to get you to clean your room/bathroom/kitchen, but the next time I come into your room and have to tell you to pick up a week’s worth of dirty clothing off the floor and take last week’s dishes to the kitchen, I will leave it off until I’ve come home to a clean house for a month.”
8. Friends in the fridge.
“Oh Noooooo, they don’t get to come over and eat thirty dollars worth of organic groceries every other day. There are water bottles, chips, and bananas on the homework table and a candy dish at the front door. Period.”
9. Struggling with groceries while you play video games.
Yeah, that commercial where the woman manages to carry in a carload of groceries in one fell swoop is hilarious. NOT FUNNY IN REAL LIFE! If I call you on the way home from the grocery store and tell you I bought a ton of groceries, you should jump up to help the minute you hear the garage door go up.
“Next time you sit there and ignore me bringing in groceries, I’m going to shut off the wifi and take all the connecting cables to work with me on grocery shopping days so you can’t play a game or watch TV until I get home.”
10. A dirty car.
Why do I pick you (and your friends) up, drop you off, and sometimes even let you borrow my car, yet never have you taken an hour on the weekend and cleaned it out for me? You don’t pay for gas or insurance or contribute to the car payment, but you benefit from using the car almost daily.
“Can you wake up early one Saturday or Sunday morning, vacuum it out and hose it down for me, please?”
Moms, tell me I am not the only one here, I tried some of my tactics, and it seems to be working well; taking the wifi off usually wins!
From one frustrated mom to another mom, What works best in your home when you want them to get it done?
