It’s bad enough–but a part of life–that housework is a never-ending job: the dishes get dirty again, the laundry needs to be washed and folded again, the lawn needs to be cut again, etc. But when I find my children (and sometimes my husband) leaving their belongings in places where they do not belong and they do not eventually put them away, well, that’s when I get irritated…that’s when my role of family manager crosses over into being a maid. I’ll manage the house and even clean it, but not take care of things perfectly able-bodied people should do for themselves, both for their own respect as well as mine.
My tolerance for cleaning up after others has been especially low as I’m recovering from the B12 deficiency. (BTW, thanks to everyone for their well-wishes. After two weeks of feeling worse [which is apparently common as your body readjusts], I finally feel like a normal human being…something I don’t think I’ve experienced since before having children!)
While I was waiting for a prescription at our local grocery store, I started reading all the signs for the employees that were posted behind service counters. Each one of them offered directions or reminders of tasks that were to be done, sometimes even enumerating the order in which things were to happen. When I finally went to get a cup of coffee (it was a long wait), I noticed more signs…and that the barista would grab a damp towel and wipe the steamer after every latte. Management constantly trains its employees, the employees know their tasks, and things get done (or, I assume, the employees get fired).
I can’t fire my family when things are not done. Nor do I want to nag them all day. But what about signs? My children have a daily check list of things they must do every day (their version of a control journal), but certainly no reminders of not leaving their shoes by the door, etc. Why not reminders throughout the house, in areas where clutter accumulates?
Because I do not want my house looking like the back areas of grocery stores, convenience stores, stockrooms, etc.
So I came up with this idea instead: I printed signs on cardstock and made table tents. I placed them throughout the house. When we have company or I just don’t want to look at them, I gather them all up and toss them in a basket in my office. When everyone slips back into their old habits, the signs come out again.
My children of course hate that I do this (as their mother is off on one of her quirky ideas again); however, it’s worked all week. I’m not nagging them to put their things away. It just gets done. Quietly. Without complaint on my part. The family has a calmer mother. I’m happier. Just from a few signs. I hope this solutions works for the long-term.
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