Moms/Housewifes? Is it your responsiblity to pick up your families messes around the house?

Question

I am currently on a strike...just because I am mom doesn't mean I am their slave..How far do you let your family mess up your house to prove a point? Any Strike Stories or comments or ideas are welcomed!! I am not the maid!

Answer 1

girl you dont have to pick up anyone else mess by your self....a family needs to work together...you should propose a plan to your family about working together.....until then just do watev you need 4 ur self<<< & see how long they last until there sorry.................

Answer 2

well I work full time and have a husband and 3 teenagers and they have allways been that whatever they mess up that it will be okay because mom will pick it up. Then i turned it on to them and gave them chores and 1 child would pick it up just as i would and then the other 2 would do a half way job and that would piss me off and instead of me getting pissed i should have said no go back over and over untill it is done right and they just flat out refused and then i just got tired of picking up after everyone and i played a game against them and got a part time job along with my full time job and you know they are showing me that they can do it and every night that i work i come to a home that is clean and supper is ready as soon as i walk in the door and it is just lovely here for 18 years i have been picking up there stuff and doing things for them and then it has been turned around and they are doing things for me and i just love it. it is so wonderful. we have more money, clean house laundry done every day, supper waiting for me when i walk in the house. It is to die for. And i know that this maybe not be the salution for your problem and i hope i have helped. you just need to find something that takes up some of your time and just give it to them and see what they have learned you will be amazed. i hope everything works out.

Answer 3

I feel your pain, but the law wont.

I once told my kids that I was no longer cleaning up their messes and doing their chores when they didnt do them (I should add that they are 8 and 10 and the 10 yr old does have a bedwetting problem which is what led to this story).... after about 1 week of this I find the cops at my door. The school reported that my son smelled of urine and they wanted to search the house. Since I was still keeping up the main areas of the house I didnt see an issue. They went all through the house, took pictures, and invaded my privacy. In the end they took my kids from me (for only a week before being forced to return them) because they claimed I wasnt keeping the house in sanitary conditions (Son is the 10 yr old and he has the chore to wipe off his plastic bed cover with cleanser and change the sheets daily and BRING THEM TO THE LAUNDRY.... he had been taking the dirty sheets off his bed and putting them in his hamper but not wiping down the plastic and not taking the dirty to the laundry room).
In the end it is just better to find another way to teach them the chore is theirs - dont bother striking.

We now use a program called reward board where they earn points for doing chores and then with their points they can "buy" rewards (getting to choose a movie from the local movie rental store, getting to go OUT to a movie if enough points, going out for ice cream, etc) It also allows you to deduct points from their scores for bad behaviour. We use this in conjunction with another discipline program called 1, 2, 3, Magic. Surprisingly it works VERY well. Good Luck to you.

Answer 4

I have tried the "strike" thing before. It didn't do any good because no one cared about the mess but me. I finally gave in and had even more work to do because everything piled up. Hopefully someone here has some different ideas on how to get the family moving on cleaning up after themselves.

Answer 5

If you are a housewife, then it is your job. But if you work, just like your husband, then everyone needs to help out. Its not fair that everyone comes home, makes a mess, then you come home from working all day, and have to clean it up. Striking is a good idea, but it can backfire on you. Say noone cares about the strike and you end up giving up and having to clean up everyones mess, which is now a really huge mess because you haven't cleaned.

Answer 6

I think that everybody should clean up and pick up behind their own self, if not they are being lazy. Your right, your not the maid, your mom/wife. Even dad needs to help out as well !!!! Kids need to keep their own rooms clean, take turns doing other chores..taking out the trash, washing the dishes, cleaning the floors, doing their own laundry and if old enough...helping with or doing all the cooking.

Answer 7

I don't think that it's up to mom's to pick up any messes, if they don't make them. If your kids/husband are over the age of 2 then they can fully help you out especially since it's their house too. It's like a business, where everyone, no matter how small or big, has their own special jobs to do.

Answer 8

I feel your pain. I finally implemented a "dirty house= no fun" rule and that has really improved my situation. We pick up/ put away 15 mins everytime we walk in the door. This has helped my gilrs (11,6) to be more careful to put their things away. Anything left after the 15 mins is mine to decide what to do with. My choice is almost always "throw it away", which I make them do. Laundry has imporved since I won't wash anything that does not get put in the hamper!! A few days of not getting to wear what you wanted seems to really help. We still go in spurts of doing this well, but overall, there has been real imporvement. Hope your stricke works for you.

Answer 9

Are you kidding! Hell nooooo! When the kids are little then fine but when they know better then it is time for them to help pick up after themselves or else they become lazy later on in life. They will always think that someone surely will put it away for them because someone (Mom) always did. If they don't want to help around the house then make it hurt by not baking/cooking for them and don't do their laundry. They will get really hungry for a good homecooked meal soon and will not like putting on smelly clothes over and over LOL.

Answer 10

I make my family carry their dishes to the sink, put their laundry in the washer, put their own shoes up...etc stuff like that their is a difference between cleaning the house and being their servant. Sit your husband and children down and explain to them, that your done, if they want their laundry done it needs to be in the washer or it won't be washed tell them whatever is laying on the floor at the end of the evening is getting thrown away...New toys, your hubby's laptop...eventually they'll pick it up..(I never really threw it away just hid it we dont' have the money to replace it) If your firm they'll get it. Good luck

Answer 11

You shouldn't pick up after everyone, how can you teach your children to be responsible.

I was a stay at home mother until my kids started school and older kids and spouses don't realize how much work you really do with small children.

I never went on strike but I had to keep on the kids I still do. My husband well ya we still class at times, but now that I am back working my kids and husband all pitch in to get thing done.

Good luck and stick to your guns, if the place gets to bad get everyone to pitch in, to get it back to how you like it.