Parenting is no picnic sometimes.

I have to admit that my parenting has gotten a little LAZY.  I’ve been letting little things slide over the course of the last month since I no longer have an ELF on the SHELF to keep order in my home.  Behavior has snowballed into what I would categorize as  DEPLORABLE and I really have no one to blame but their father (ok,  sorry that’s just a joke).

Yesterday I decided that I have to regain supreme reign of this household and that law and order must be instituted immediately before someone was to get seriously injured.  It was them, or me.

After a rough night of consequences (Shaw age 5.5 to bed with no supper) and a less that glorious morning routine which wound him back in his room after school for 40 minutes I decided to create a chart that will earn him privileges ONLY on weekends, and ONLY if he manages to have three GOOD days in a row.  That means that the weekdays are for school, playing with his sister, chores, and reading and that if all goes well possibly a movie, play date or special treat on the weekend.

I have no idea if this will work and frankly I wonder if the novelty of the chart will wear off but since I instituted the new laws in my kingdom i have heard barely a peep of protest, whining, or mis-behavior.

Both he and his sister have agreed that they will abide by my laws or risk the wrath of the Queen Mother.  I have been terse, tight lipped, and short and quick in my responses to them, and I am here to delightfully report that it got me fairly far this evening.  They both brought their plates to the kitchen, took baths, brushed teeth, and got into bed without even a whimper of protest ( THIS IS NOT NORMAL).

Infractions include fighting, being fresh or sassy, hitting, whining, or just outright being a naughty butt.

It’s amazing since these new boundaries are set how much happier they both actually seem.  As a wise woman once said…

When the Queen is happy; the land is happy.