It’s all Stu all the time! Stu 24/7! 100% Stu!
Seriously folks, the contributor of the #1 Parent Hack of 2006 continues to share his encouraging advice…this time about older children who protest the having to do household chores. The List lays out in black and white just who does what, so kids can get a relative look at their responsibilities with respect to Mom and Dad’s, and hopefully see the inherent fairness in everyone doing their part to keep the family humming along. Read the full post at GNMParents for the details.
As Stu reminds us, so many times it’s not about what you say as a parent, but how you say it.
My dad, a career army man, used to use this hack on my brother and I all the time. Usually it was proceeded by “Do you think it is fair that I….”
I think I remember the word “ungrateful” used a couple of times too, but that could just be the type of exaggerated memory that spawns “uphill both ways” types of stories.
It did work, on me at least. I appreciated how much tougher life would be if I was an adult and I appreciated that my dad really busted his butt to provide for our family (like the times he delivered pizzas at night on top of his army duties during the day). Doing my part by raking the yard, or cleaning my room, didn’t seem as much of a chore after that.
Good one, Stu. Thanks for the reminder. Now time to call my dad and thank him for all he did again.
Thanks Jim. And what a great story about your dad. Thanks for sharing that. It was actually pretty moving, especially that last sentence.