Tuesday, February 19, 2008

behind closed doors

Instead of fighting, arguing, bribing or coercing my kids to clean up the playroom on days when it's gotten especially out of hand and they aren't cooperating on the job, sometimes I just close the door to the mess and tell them they can't go in until they're ready to help take care of it.
This usually works fairly well, though it may take a day or two, because all of their toys are in there. They only have books and a few stuffed animals in their bedrooms and a few arts and crafts supplies in the dining room cabinet. The rest of their "valuables" are behind these doors. They get bored and they want to go in, and they know that means eventually cleaning up their mess.
I tried that today. But they are driving me nuts because while they have hardly any toys to occupy themselves out here, today they've found themselves plenty of entertainment in running like maniacs through the house, ransacking their bedrooms, torturing each other and basically could care less about earning their way back into the playroom.
Frankly, it's kind of backfired on me. Turns out bored, restless, stubborn preschoolers running around my house all day are worse than me having to look at a pigsty of a playroom.

So this afternoon I decided to turn the tables on them.
I closed them in with the mess. Instead of not being able to go in until they're ready to clean up, now they're stuck in there with the mess until they decide it's time to get busy.
.
.
.

I wonder how many days they'll be in there.



8 comments:

K.M.L said...

HAHAHAHAH! :) Maybe throw them a pillow and a blanket while they "camp out"... Cute pics!

Nicole said...

HAHAH! So, how long did it take? Or... are they sleeping in there tonight? ;)

Anonymous said...

that last picture is classic!

Zoe said...

i love the last pic. are they still there?

Unknown said...

Good thinking, Mom! That is hilarious!!!

Love, Mom/Gramma Debbie

jenny said...

that's awesome. i love that last photo!

Erin said...

are they still in there???

lina said...

Cute picture!

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