Saturday mornings

I reserve Saturday mornings for chores.  Not for myself, mind you, although I do plenty Saturday mornings as well, but for the kids.  My children will be adults that know how to pick up after themselves as well as how to deep clean their space.  I grew up in this manner, thanks mom!, and my children will as well.

I'm a bit of a slave driver at times.  Sometimes a bit compulsive in making sure the kids do their chores thoroughly.  However, they're kids.  Kids want to play instead of clean.  Siblings want to bicker instead of clean.  Children will find any distraction they can possibly find to ensure that no cleaning EVER gets accomplished.  Some Saturdays find chores being done well into the afternoon of the day, when the actual concept of Saturday chores is to get chores all done before lunchtime. 

Those Saturdays, so very much like today, are very frustrating and stressful.  I'm all keyed up now typing this.  Trying to micromanage my kids while sitting on the couch typing my blog, acting nonchalantly about them doing chores while simultaneously trying their darnedest to find distractions.  I will yell out "quit playing drums with the silverware and finish unloading the dishwasher" (except imagine that statement in all caps and my eyes bulging from their sockets because it's the fourth time I've had to yell some similar comment).

I am on a quest to find peace with these frustrations.  The chores will get done.  It will be the child's problem if they waste an entire weekend day doing chores that should take them less than an hour to complete.  I will not feel guilty when they are yearning to go outside and play instead of cleaning the bathroom or vacuuming their bedrooms.