Thumbs Down

We have been trying to teach Miss Fabulous the importance of chores and keeping things cleaned up. She helps out with our daily chores and usually does this happily. The one area where we have been unsuccessful is her room. Our room is not always clean and I'm working on being better so I can set an example, but I am trying to teach her at the same time. The normal cycle goes something like this:
Her room gets trashed (usually when we have guests but sometimes she does it all by her little self).
I ask her to clean up her clothes and a few other toys to get started.
She refuses or just gets distracted and plays.
I get fed up after several days of trying to get her to clean her room.
I clean things up but make them "disappear".
She gets bored from not having toys and wants to watch TV all day.
I eventually make the toys "reappear" just for sanity purposes.
Repeat. Over and over.

Tonight we are in the stages of the constant nagging without success (of course). We told MF that she could not watch anything or play anything until her room was cleaned. She started crying (also the norm) and left the room. She came back a few minutes later sniffling and said, "Daddy, you said a bad word to me."
John: "What did I say?"
MF: "You said 'Go clean your room'."
John: "Oh yeah? That's a bad word?"
MF: "Yes. That was a bad choice."

I have to admit...I couldn't stop laughing. I did attempt to hide it but really...when she did the thumbs down, I just about lost it. What a bad daddy - trying to make a little girl clean up her mess!

Comments

Jamie Sue said…
Kids are so funny, in the way that they view the world.

Btw, Hunter has those exact same jammies.
16/10/08 01:06
Fooferoo said…
So funny. We struggle with the toy picking up too. Once I got a garbage bag and told the kids everything was going in the trash. They helped me put their toys in the trash bag giggling the entire time... kids.
16/10/08 11:08
Leslie said…
Grandma says, John, quit picking on that little girl. JK! Have a great time in Maui this weekend. Love you guys.
16/10/08 16:05
TGS said…
I love it. Great job at explaining the story, i felt as if i was there!
17/10/08 15:53
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