growing dishes!

If you have read the post, kids and chores, you willl see its been just recent that i have offiaclly estabilished the 2 older boys help for regular dishes chores. I do the breakfast dishes, Clayton does lunch, and Nathan does supper. But we all help with cleaning the table and putting away the way the food.

But as you know some children( and Adults too) love to put off thier work for later. So Clayton started doing that, and I wouldn't mind just as long as they were done in a reasonable time in the afternoon.

Well one of those days this past week as he put his dishes off for later, I came along and descided it was time they were done.

So he gets up there and begins. But hes itchy somwhere from bug bites so he stops and scartches, then I believe his fooot hurt, then he had to add some ice to a cup where he had his color changing car. It was one thing after the next and the dishes were not getting done. Though he would have had them done already if he had just dug in and did them.

Then Dady announces that he needs to run into our local town and do a few arrends. Clyton askes if he can go, and Daddy said "yes", before i had a chanch to say, "no way"!!

As they pull out of the yard i comment to oldest son Nathan, "I would not have allowed that, he should not beeen able to go since he had been daddeling and not getting his dishes done, having to stay home would have been punishment". "And maybe next time he would have worked much quicker".

Then I started some baking and as i went along, the dishes began to GROW. By the time i finshed his dishes had grown quite a bit. Then a light bulb licked in my head, hey Clayton is getting punished after all for having daddeled and then run off right in the middle!

So they come home and I annouce to Clayton that he better wash his dishes in hurry now beofre they grow even more. He looks at the pile, and groans! He complains. But I explanin in a nice way that is what happens when dishes are not done emmediently, and yes, all of these are now his dishes. So he bigns and again though not the happiest boy.

Welll the next day he comes up to me and askes, " can i wash mine beofre lunch"?

I wondered for a second where that came from, then i knew! I was like wow, my plan worked it gave him an incinitive to do them Promtly and Quickly. he did not want no more Growing dishes!! :)

But he was a little too eager!! I told him he had to wait till after lunch!

Ever since that incident he has been washing them very quicly after we finsh eating.

Again yesterday he got a litttle carried away again though and jmped up after he and Sam finshed but there was still 3 of us eating, and washed the dishes and said, " I am all done, those will have to be left for supper"!!

Me and Nathan look at each other and think, what? That should not be allowed we think.
But then i am like, "no thas ok, I'll get the rest, go on".