7 day challenge....For the child that leaves messes behind
DAY 1....See this table? It was clean at 3:00 p.m. yesterday afternoon...Then a A NATURAL DISASTER came through here (IT HITS MY HOUSE EVERY DAY AROUND THE SAME TIME)....AND we may need FEMA'S help!!!.....A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN RIGHT IN MY KITCHEN AND MY FAMILY ROOM...it is the one called "Shelby" Shelby is a 10 year old tornado....I'm conducting what we will call a "weather experiment"...I will not be calling Fema in for assistance THIS TIME....I will not be telling the one called Shelby that she has left her homework and library books strewn about the kitchen table........I will NOT remind her that she needs them for school, I will not be the mom that I always am FOR 7 WHOLE DAYS..instead I will offer ....NO HELP...No reminders...I will ignore the messes and irresponsibility..Lets see what happens to MY HOUSE and HER SCHOOL WORK...I'm not doing her any favors by giving her a cushion for her fall! Do I seem frustrated?....YES.....YES I AM!
Dear Diary: Day 2 of OPERATION "Leave Shelby's messes where ever she puts them"...IS MAKING ME WANT TO RUN AWAY!!!......I wonder if any of you (THAT HAVE A CLEAN HOUSE) can hide me out for a week until THIS LITTLE EXPERIMENT IS OVER!!??? The half eaten pear that is sitting on my table next to the used paper towel and study sheet near the FORGOTTEN HOMEWORK and a few inches away from the crayon box that is touching the LIBRARY BOOKS near the Pop-tart wrapper in a bowl that is touching MORE HOMEWORK near the pencil that's touching HER AGENDA that she FORGOT again this morning is bringing out the OCD in me BAD!!!...."SOMEONE" seems to have forgotten her homework here AGAIN TODAY (it's two feet away from the ROTTING PEAR CARCASS!!).....and SOMEONES mother has been in "secret" contact with someones teacher to make sure that Someone gets BUSTED for day 2 of forgetting school work!...SOMEONES MOTHER IS A MEAN MEAN MOM!!! BUT "SOMEONES MOTHER" WILL RAISE INDEPENDENT SELF MOTIVATING PEOPLE EVEN IF IT KILLS HER!!! Also Diary, I'm about to try this DISGUSTING looking noodle thing that is zero calories and I think it's gonna be the death of me and make me wanna barf....if no one hears from me it's cause this noodle thing made me die!
DAY 3.....THE WEEKEND EDITION.....Today had no change other than 1 more pair of shoes on the family room floor and she is avoiding sitting at the kitchen table due to lack of room...However, She did scan the kitchen table and take an extra ...long time looking at the rotting pear, but then she moved on.......I was hoping by now she would have realized that all these things are hers...BUT NOT YET!...<---THAT WAS THIS MORNING.....Now for this afternoon......Shelby has shifted the mess from one side of the table to the other so she has room to sit with her friend.....Shelby actually said to me: MOM, WHY DID YOU PUT MY HOT CHOCOLATE ON TOP OF MY AGENDA.....(I laughed on the inside.....I so badly wanted to say 1. Because there isn't room anywhere else and 2. WHY IS YOUR AGENDA ON THE TABLE? ...But I bit my tongue and simply said "whoops, I guess I didn't realize"...SHE SPILLED A LITTLE HOT CHOCOLATE ON HER AGENDA THEN ACCIDENTALLY DUMPED A WHOLE GLASS OF WATER ON HER HOMEWORK THAT HAS BEEN THERE FOR 3 DAYS!!!!!!!...I am so curious as to what will happen next.....Thank God her teacher knows what I'm doing.
It's day 4 of OPERATION I'M NOT CLEANING UP AFTER SHELBY...this rotting pear showed up on day 2......So our second experiment will be called "What happens to a pear when it sits on the table for 7 days?" It's... a sweet Red Bartlett pear...It likes hanging out at home and movie nights...It's favorite memories include sitting in the Michigan sun and going to the fruit market...If anyone thinks this is too much....remember, Shelby is one year away from middle school and must be responsible for her own work and her things or she will get lost in the shuffle...also....she is in NO trouble for this...she isn't getting grounded or yelled at......I have an unconventional way of parenting and I enjoy every minute of it...I will show her my little diary after all is said and done...She will UNDERSTAND THIS COMPLETELY......I'M SURE OF IT! My kids understand me....they may not like everything but in the end they understand. I make jokes, but I take the success of my kids VERY SERIOUSLY.....I never wanted to be a doctor or a ballerina.....I only wanted to be a good mom....... oh and a comedian... and a supermodel and a fashion designer....and a teacher...and a back-up dancer....... oh and a hairdresser...but MAINLY a MOM!
WE ARE AT THE TOP OF THE HILL!!!!...Day 5....Shelby was at her friends house ALL day yesterday so we had very little change....WE DID HOWEVER, HAVE A BREAK THROUGH: Last Night before her night time routine.....(without me saying a word) Shelby walked over to the kitchen table grabbed her agenda and her home work and placed them in her backpack so that she would be prepared for the morning!.....Again, I almost had to leave the room to hide my true feelings.... I wanted to HIGH FIVE HER!!! Pat her back and scream: YES!..GREAT JOB!!! But I didn't ....I quietly sat on the couch with my husband acting like I hadn't noticed and I didn't say a thing ........Also today is library and her library books have been on the table since DAY 1....They have been there so long that they got buried under the study sheet that has been there since day 2....SHE WALKED OVER THIS MORNING AND GRABBED THEM WITHOUT SAYING A WORD!!...AMEN....THAT IS GREAT PROGRESS.... it means that she forgot nothing OTHER THAN A HOARDERS SIZE MESS ON THE KITCHEN TABLE! BUUUUT then.... After breakfast, she looked at the table and said, "TODAY AFTER SCHOOL, I'M GOING TO CLEAN UP THIS TABLE!!!!!!!!" I WAS SO STINKIN EXCITED ON THE INSIDE but remained cool as a cucumber on the outside and just said: Why? ....She said, "OMG MOM!! Look at it!! Don't you think it's messy??? I said, "well, I guess.. I hadn't noticed..it is kinda messy isn't it?" She said, "YUP, Look there is even a rotten pear!" and she walked away!!!.......PRAISE JESUS!!!......I'M SO PROUD OF HER!!!!! ......P.S. Bart the pear says hi...He is growing fur now and looks quite distinguished...Sucha handsome little devil! ;) He would also like to introduce you to his NEWEST friend "SPILLED MILK"....I think Spilled milk will only be here for a short time if Shelby keeps to her word ♥
DAY 6: She didn't even make it to the 7th day!!!....THAT was VERY DIFFICULT!......I am ecstatic to say that MY TABLE IS CLEAN AND BART THE PEAR IS DISPOSED OF WHERE HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN ALL ALONG! Shelby understood this experiment VERY WELL. The pictures of the progress were a GREAT IMPACT for her. She didn't like it AT ALL! But she got my message loud and clear. I am under no expectations that my 10 year old should now act like an adult an...d clean up after herself ALL OF THE TIME or REMEMBER her homework EVERYDAY. But I AM expecting that she will be just a little more aware of what she can create and how fast she can do it (The messiest table was ONLY day 3) I also expect that she can take a little more responsibility for her own homework......I expect these things and I know she will deliver.....She could not wait for me to take a picture of her cleaning off the table....There's the happy ending....Proof that she WANTS to live in a clean/organized environment......And the other happy ending is GOOD BYE FUZZY BART THE PEAR!....You wanna know the truth...Your facial hair sickens me and you didn't look distinguished at all.... you were starting to look like an IDIOT!!!
