Going on Strike

Oh, I love it.  This morning on the Today Show they had a story about a mom and dad with three daughters who went on strike one day.  Mom decided she was tired of running the kids everywhere and then picking up after them, keeping the house, doing the laundry, making supper, etc.  Mom and dad secretly quit doing anything around the house and just watched the mayhem unfold.

Mom has a blog and she said that is the only thing that kept her going.  She couldn't say anything around the house because she didn't want the girls to catch on, so she used her blog to spill her frustrations.  Mom and dad let this go on for six days.  Mom said she treated it like it was a real strike, took it seriously, refused to give in and stood her ground.  I can't remember if they said on what day one of the girls finally got it, but here are some funnies from the piece:

Daughter thought cereal bowl with leftover milk was oatmeal.  Daughter pushed aside dirty dishes on counter to sit down and eat.  Dog was licking the dishes in the open dishwasher.  Since mom quit cleaning out girls' lunch bags as soon as they came home from school, they were disgusting and lunch was sent in plastic grocery bags...until they didn't have anymore...so dad used the doggie doodoo pickup sacks.  No clean clothes.  You get the picture.

I loved the interview with mom.  I echo many of  the points she made.  She said if she didn't teach her kids how to do these things, then she is setting them up for failure.  Amen.   If we (yes, I am guilty) continue to do everything for our children, how will they know how to load the dishwasher, unload the dishwasher, do laundry, fix a simple meal, clean a bathroom, take out the trash...and you get my drift.

I take many things for granted.  There are lots of things I do not how to do, but the things I do know how to do, I expect everyone else to know also...minus the machine shorthand maybe...ha.  I'm beginning to realize that just because I know how to do something, others may not.  For example:  Using a weed-eater, yes, I know that when you tap the end on the ground, string pops out.  (Jay learned this summer that not everyone knows that.)  Run a log-splitter, check.  Drive a tractor or grain truck, check.  Saddle a horse, check.  Operate a stick shift, check.  Hitch up a trailer to the truck and set up camper, check (six months ago, I had no clue).   Paint without making a huge mess (thanks to lots of 'advice' and experience), check.   Whip up a batch of homemade laundry soap, check. 

But don't ask me to can tomatoes or make salsa from garden veggies.   Save-A-Lot canned tomatoes are pretty cheap and there's no mess.  I can sew on a button if necessary, but hemming pants with needle and thread, no way.  I use hem tape...oh yeah, all you need is a hot iron...or send them to the local seamstress uptown for a small fee.  Bake a pie?  With a ready-made-crust, you betcha.  Why bother making it from scratch...Pilsbury does it for you. 

My point is that I don't know how to do the things above for two reasons:  I don't want to learn or I never had to.  If there are things I think are important for my children to do, then I/we must teach them and let them figure things out every now and then on their own. 

I am thinking that Jay and I need to try this strike thing out.  Take a little va-cay from the household chores.  Force the kiddos to pick up and do stuff on their own.  We can sit back and relax.  Ahh, who am I kidding?  Have you seen my house?  I'm guessing no one will even notice...