House Rules

It's easy to be FunMom when ...Dad is home.  We have an outing planned.  Everyone is listening and following directions at the same time.  We're with fun people.  The rest of the time, being FunMom takes more work.

I sat down today and wrote up a little chart that I've been thinking about for a long time.  A chart that will make being FunMom easier.  You can buy something like this through a company called Doorposts, but I needed one RIGHT THIS INSTANT!  I reviewed the list with the boys as I was writing it.  They even helped me think up some of the consequences (most of which we already have vaguely in place).  I told them that today would be a reminder day.  Today I will just remind them each time they do something that incurs a consequence.  Tomorrow we go live!

It will be a lot easier not to get to the "breaking point" if I'm consistent.  I know this.  It is very hard to be consistent, though, and I usually disguise my inconsistency as "grace".  As in, "You did that wrong, don't do it again, Mommy is extending grace right now!"  I'm trying to give them a chance, but really, what kid will say, "Oh, thank you for that chance you're giving me, Mother.  I will not do that again."?  None that I know.  They will usually take that chance and run with it.  It's more like, "How many chances can I get out of her today?" 

And when the kids continue to disobey, I'm not being gracious, I'm really just getting angrier and angrier inside until I burst, and then they get a much more dramatic consequence than they would have gotten had I just been consistent!!!  Not to mention, they're forming a habit of disobedience.  And that's not what I'm going for.

This chart will give us all something to go to.  A source other than Mom will be dictating what will happen.  (even though I wrote it, when it's on paper they forget that part - hee hee).  So here goes.   I hope to write verses in, too, so the boys have a moral reason to obey instead of only, "because I said so..."  I'll let you know if I actually get around to it!

If you choose to whine about schoolwork, then you choose added tasks.
...complain about chores...an added chore.
...leave the wii controls out...no wii for one day.
...whine about snacks:"why does he get more than me?"...no snack.
...complain about breakfast/lunch/dinner...no meal.
...sit in your chair incorrectly...stand up.
...speak disrespectfully to adults...(add your family's consequence)
...take something out of someone else's hands...(add your consequence)
...hit/kick someone else...(add your consequence)
...to disobey a direction...(add consequence)