Last night it hit me. My kids had taken over the house! They were making the rules. They were deciding what and where they were eating. They decided when they were going to sleep. Every time I asked someone to do something – laundry, dishes, clean up – I had a fight or argument on my hands. The children had taken to violence – hitting each other when they didn’t get their way. The screaming, the shouting, the disrespect was becoming more than I could bear. The last straw was last night, when after I told them to shut down the computer, I found them watching a movie and camped out in the computer room prepared to sleep there. I didn’t loose it. I didn’t scream. I didn’t holler. I simply walked away, formulated a plan, and came back to tell them, “I am not happy about this. Tomorrow we will be having a discussion and things WILL BE changing!”
So hears the plan:
Awake no later than 10AM.
Dressed by 10:30AM.
Eat, free time mixed with some chores until 1PM.
At 1PM, the children will be sitting at the table doing 2 pages in their math workbooks. The baby will nap. Once their 2 pages are completed, they are free to play, with exception for doing any chores I ask of them until suppertime.
After supper (around 6PM), there will be clean up, baths and bedtime routine. Every child will be in bed between 8 and 8:30PM with lights out for the 4 youngest at 8:30PM. The oldest two girls will have lights out at 10PM. Lights out means NO ELECTRONICS, NO COMPUTER, NO BOOKS, NO TOYS! The only exception is an audiobook.
I am writing this post at 2:45PM. We started math just after 1PM, as planned. Almost two hours later and the older two girls are getting close to finishing their math now. It is simple addition, something they know how to do. It is going to take a while to get back into this, but I feel a sense of relief already. I can tell attitudes are settling down and there is a little more focus. I have not really scheduled a lot into our day and I love that. When I reorder our science stuff, I’ll be adding science assignments to our week as well.
Striving to learn and live God's purposes, 
4 comments:
It's easy to get cought up in life, especially when there is a lot going on out of the norm. I too, have reciently realize my children 'ruled the roost' so to speak. Routine? Hmmm... that still needs to happen, but is getting there. Kudos for taking charge.
WEll done you for getting them back on track.. They are bound to be up and down at the moment with all the traumatic changes you have had going on in your lives, but they will settle down now you have been back in charge and will feel much happier for it!!!.. I am thinking of you each day and hope a little bit each day gets done towards getting your own home back again.. it will be a while I am sure, but soon you will all be together in the new house and starting to make it a home, meanwhile, well done, and keep on trucking girl..... God Bless, Janzi
that is absolutely awesome. let us know further up dates. Godbless!!!
Post a Comment