The Beatings Will Continue Until Morale Improves

Who Argues with a Doberman eating his sausage?

A t-shirt at the airport gift shop has this phrase printed on it: the beatings will continue until morale improves.  I love this. . . but not enough to buy the t-shirt.  Here is another good one: the best way to improve morale is to fire all the unhappy people.  (www.despair.com)

The thing is, recently my children have accused me of nagging.  It doesn't help that Bill has been gone so many weeks in a row.  Instead of the zone defense you get with two parents at home, I am man to man against two intense little players.  One of them is bound to get by me and score.

So, I am nagging.  Nagging about the basic business of household life--brush your teeth, unload the dishwasher, practice your snare drum (ouch) and that doesn't even include table manners and NOT INTERRUPTING.

"I was gonna do it. . . "
"You don't trust me. . . "
"I was about to do it. . . "
"You don't understand. . . "
"I was trying. . . "

To borrow the athletic mantra JUST DO IT.

The thing these young whippersnappers need to understand is: love is given, trust is earned.
(That is not my phrase. . . that is Pastor Jim's sermon)

Love is given, trust is earned.  So I'm turning the tables around here.  I will stop nagging when you earn my trust. Prove that you are gonna DO THE TASK.  The nagging will continue until behavior improves.  You want to be treated like an independent kid?  Be an independent kid.  It's not from "How to Talk So Kid's Will Listen" and it is not out of "Kids, Parents and Power Struggles."  It's survival of the parents.

Tra la la.