My son is an only child. He is six. Minds other adults beautifully, but won't do a darn thing I ask him to do without being lippy, lazy or just not doing it! It drives me crazy! I have tried everything I can think of--and for a while during the winter taking his gamecube away was effective for "punishment", but we don't let him use it in the summer because it's so nice outside. Like right now, I asked him to clean up his toys and he did it kind of half way but still left most if it in the middle of the room. I sent him up to his room and told him he was there for the rest of the night (it's almost bedtime and he was up really early today)--so I go in his room and there is just stuff everywhere--all over the floor, toys, videos. So i got a garbage bag and bagged it all up and told him I was going to throw it all out tomorrow when the garbage man comes. It's not just cleaning, but eating dinner is a battle, going to bed is a battle, taking a bath-- just everything! I am so frustrated! DH is also in agreement that this is a problem, but I don't know what to do to fix it!

Help, I am desperate. So upset. I feel like a failure.

I don't have kids of my own - except a dalmation who is better behave than my foster daughter was or any boyfriend I had so I can't really make a educated recommendation but have you ever read or looked at the flylady.com site?

The site is to help women get organized in keeping up their house - realistically. In many of the testimonials, the kids and hubby start following through. As I was reading this thread, many parts of it were familiar from that site. She says to use a timeer and declutter for 15 minutes only. So maybe your son gets so much done in 15 minutes this time. She also recommends baby steps.

I love the 27 thing flings they recommend. You take a bag and put in 27 things for the 2nd hand store. Then do another bag of 27 for garbage.

Sorry to get off topic, but I have used a number of these when I get off track and I think they may help for kids too. Having a finite end to a job time wise puts the stress out of "when is this done?"

Good luck.

Trouble with flylady is by the time you've shined your sink, your 2 year old has spread talcum powder round the bedroom. By the time you've vacuumed all that up, the 10 year old has fed the cat and left a trail of cat food from the plate all the way to the bin. Go and mop that up only to find your 2 year old needs a nappy change, deal with that to go and feed the whining 8 year old who is demanding food. You're shined sink is now covered in dishes, which you have to do and then put on the load of laundry, oh and then go and mop the floor AGAIN because the kids have been in and out the back door and its raining outside. Get sidetracked by the revolting smell coming from the boys room only to discover they've been hiding most of their school lunches in the bottom drawer, eeew, clean that up and wonder just when you will get to the ring around the bath, the toilet which they boys cant actually pee into for love nor money, do the banking, the grocery shopping, fit some study in, get to football training, cook something for dinner and do the ironing and put all the clean washing away. By this stage of course, the house needs vacuuming again, I think i dusted about 2 months ago though so that should be right for another 6.

Flylady? When? LOL!

i have 4 children....ages 12, 10, 5 and 3!!

they are very messy all i do all day is run after them to clean up

im suprised i ahvent lost heaps of weight

im having a few troubles with my 3 yr old daughter....tantrums...wont listen

kicking, hiting and i jsut turn away and ignore her.If i pay attention too her she will misbehave more so i just walk away.

she gets over it that way