Your newsletters never cease to make me laugh out loud! 😂 While I don't have kids, I can appreciate your plight & adventures. Thanks for making my first day of the week one I can laugh at. I do love the narrated newsletter & miss that. But reading it also forces me to take a breath & focus on your newsletter, which is a good thing.
My daughter recently cleaned her room and I was so impressed with how well she did it without my help until I went to the spare room and couldn't open the door because she had literally just dumped anything that looked out of place in her room in there and shut the door behind her.... in fairness the only instruction I'd given was that I wanted to see her room tidy, I didn't specify that she needed to actually tidy her belongings in her actual room!!
Your leaving is much more productive than my leaving was. I didn’t have the excuse of an outside job until much later. One time all four were squabbling in the car and wouldn’t stop. I parked, got out, and started walking away. I had not gotten very far, maybe 100 yards, when a concerned farmer stopped me.
“Car trouble?”
“No. Kids won’t stop fighting.”
“Ah.”
We stood in silence for a while.
“I’m going to have to go back and at least drive the car home, aren’t I.”
He nodded. “Could make ‘em walk.”
I considered it. We were about three miles from home and the youngest was four.
“Probably not.”
He nodded again.
“Thanks.” I walked back to the car. They were quiet and no one said a word for three miles.
I would be interested to see if your 4 kids could possibly be as messy as my one 6 year old (never mind my 15 and 13 year olds). My 6 year old somehow managed to get Cheerios all over the dining room, under all chairs despite only sitting in one of them, and then leaves a trail in the kitchen to the garbage can. Maybe she’s leaving herself a trail in case she gets lost?
Nothing will beat my 4-year old cousin who found the Crisco, thought it was lotion, and smeared it all over herself. Try cleaning lard off a squirmy child. My aunt was beside herself.
Procrastination is the key to achieving more, at least that's what I learned in high school. I can't tell you how many journalism newspaper articles I wrote on the school bus the morning the school paper was due to come out.
You definitely hit on the truths of chores and kids. Mine did some chores, but not as many as a lot of kids, probably. I used to just end up doing them because I'm the type of person who will do something myself rather than expect someone to do it as well as me. (I was a great boss, lol.) You are lucky that Betsy likes being in charge. Our daughter would not have lived to see adulthood had her older (by 4 years) brother been in charge while we were at work.. He was a good kid but in their younger years, he just had no real interest in her or what she was doing. They once went fishing at a neighborhood pond and she fell and was stuck in the mud up to about her waist. She got herself out and made it home before he did. Guess he forgot he was supposed to get help, ha.
I've got siblings like your oldest boy. Oh, there are stories. Betsy, though, is very aware of her sisters, especially when she's in charge. She loves the power.
If that didn't sum up parenting....I don't know what would!
Your newsletters never cease to make me laugh out loud! 😂 While I don't have kids, I can appreciate your plight & adventures. Thanks for making my first day of the week one I can laugh at. I do love the narrated newsletter & miss that. But reading it also forces me to take a breath & focus on your newsletter, which is a good thing.
Very recognizable indeed!
My daughter recently cleaned her room and I was so impressed with how well she did it without my help until I went to the spare room and couldn't open the door because she had literally just dumped anything that looked out of place in her room in there and shut the door behind her.... in fairness the only instruction I'd given was that I wanted to see her room tidy, I didn't specify that she needed to actually tidy her belongings in her actual room!!
Your daughter wins at life, but not at cleaning.
Wait, you have a “real” job?
I'm doing everything in my power not to have one any more. Take that however you want.
Your leaving is much more productive than my leaving was. I didn’t have the excuse of an outside job until much later. One time all four were squabbling in the car and wouldn’t stop. I parked, got out, and started walking away. I had not gotten very far, maybe 100 yards, when a concerned farmer stopped me.
“Car trouble?”
“No. Kids won’t stop fighting.”
“Ah.”
We stood in silence for a while.
“I’m going to have to go back and at least drive the car home, aren’t I.”
He nodded. “Could make ‘em walk.”
I considered it. We were about three miles from home and the youngest was four.
“Probably not.”
He nodded again.
“Thanks.” I walked back to the car. They were quiet and no one said a word for three miles.
I would be interested to see if your 4 kids could possibly be as messy as my one 6 year old (never mind my 15 and 13 year olds). My 6 year old somehow managed to get Cheerios all over the dining room, under all chairs despite only sitting in one of them, and then leaves a trail in the kitchen to the garbage can. Maybe she’s leaving herself a trail in case she gets lost?
We should have a Mess Olympics. I'm confident my kids would take home the gold.
You’d have a tough competition lol. We just need an impartial judge! And someone willing to clean up the mess 🤣
Nothing will beat my 4-year old cousin who found the Crisco, thought it was lotion, and smeared it all over herself. Try cleaning lard off a squirmy child. My aunt was beside herself.
I was in a very bad mood. Sort of disappointment, frusteration, anger , sadness mashed up together.
This made me laugh and made my day.
Thankyou
Glad I could help!
You make me wish I had kids. For the stories.
ROFL!
Lol. Been there, i am offically dead
hmm how about summer camp? find them a ninja training camp maybe. lol
I am in awe of this brilliant tactic. Really entertaining stories! Thanks!
I love starting my week with your posts. Have a great week.
Thanks!
Procrastination is the key to achieving more, at least that's what I learned in high school. I can't tell you how many journalism newspaper articles I wrote on the school bus the morning the school paper was due to come out.
The second best time to write something is right before it's due. The best time is long after the deadline.
You definitely hit on the truths of chores and kids. Mine did some chores, but not as many as a lot of kids, probably. I used to just end up doing them because I'm the type of person who will do something myself rather than expect someone to do it as well as me. (I was a great boss, lol.) You are lucky that Betsy likes being in charge. Our daughter would not have lived to see adulthood had her older (by 4 years) brother been in charge while we were at work.. He was a good kid but in their younger years, he just had no real interest in her or what she was doing. They once went fishing at a neighborhood pond and she fell and was stuck in the mud up to about her waist. She got herself out and made it home before he did. Guess he forgot he was supposed to get help, ha.
I've got siblings like your oldest boy. Oh, there are stories. Betsy, though, is very aware of her sisters, especially when she's in charge. She loves the power.