I failed to track the location of bear's football shorts. He has football tomorrow and will need to go in with proper football socks, boots, shorts and t-shirt. I hadn't kept track of which random location bear had left his clothes.
First Mum Fail - I haven't trained bear to leave his clothes in the dirty clothes basket. Most of the time they make it to the basket or a pile near the washer, but it's not 100%. This does not apply to socks. Bear sheds his socks in strange and mysterious places. I have found them in every room in the house. It's a work in progress.
Second Mum Fail - I didn't mentally track where the shorts were. Normally I have an idea of where stuff ends up. For example, bear's school sweaters rarely get taken off at night. They are usually either brought home in bear's bag or taken off as he gets in. For some reason they home to a gap between the piano and the piano stool so I regularly have a quick look there. The shorts weren't there.
Third Mum Fail - I sent bear to look for the shorts in his bedroom. He came down with the socks but looked mournfully at me as he said that there was no trace of his shorts anywhere. The fail was that I didn't go up, stand over him and enforce him looking.
Fourth Mum Fail - I went and found them for him. They were in the middle of his bedroom floor, of course, and while I did pull his leg, he still got me to look for things.
Fifth Mum Fail - I have been yelling at him - sometimes literally - to shut the door behind him whenever he enters or leaves a room since he was old enough to go into a room without me. He'll be 10 in less than six weeks and I still haven't got through to him.
I need to raise my game.
It sounds like you're being really hard on yourself! I would give him a basket to put in his room. Any clothes that don't make it in the basket don't get washed on washday. If he doesn't like that idea, show him how to use the machine so he can wash the clothes (with supervision).
ReplyDeleteGo a little easier on yourself!
Well, at least you found the shorts! Maybe, when he's 10, make him responsible for keeping track of his football gear. Some tough love might be needed, like having him attend practice without the required item because he couldn't find it (and you, being the tough mum, wouldn't find it for him) and being made to sit out the practice because he wasn't properly equipped. Of course, it will only work if he really loves playing football and enjoys practice. Hang in there! My daughter still leaves piles of clothing everywhere!
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