Good Morning MENA - It's Saturday!!!!

[doodlebug 3]

Ah Doodle, don't count on it. LOL Tho I am happy as a lark buying from the clearance rack, and shopping at the dollar stores, two of my sons inherited the "rich" taste from their father. At ten and twelve they ask for cell phones, play stations, PSP players (whatever they are), Nikes, and want "label" clothes. I tell them to ask their dad for these things and they roll their eyes at me. LOL Right, you don't get them from me and you don't get them from your dad, so I guess you need to get a job! LOL The other ten year old could care less, half the time I am lucky if I can get him to wear clothes that actually matck. But they do match mom, see they both have blue in them, No honey, checks and stripes don't go together, EVER LOL

So it's the boys too???

Wow my oldest is 11 1/2 so maybe it's that age...but seriously she's been like this for a good year though. There's this certain "clique" she's in and they all have to have their Abercrombie t-shirts/sweats and the Ugg boots and the Hollister book bags. My youngest is a lil skater girl wanna be and always has to stand OUT from the crowd. Then again whenever her particular friends get a new nintendo ds game she has to get it too so I guess it's just vented in a different direction...electronically instead of with clothes.

I know it won't go away till their in their twenties so I have a LOOONG way to go. And they sooo know how to get their dad to take them shopping too. He's a sucker for those big brown eyes and the long lashes and the puppy dog face. lol. What's worked for me though is layin' it all on the line and giving them an actual budget with which to go by. They now know how much things cost and that when you buy a big ticket item it means you don't get as many of them, etc. The next step is to make them realize what it takes to actually earn the money. I do have them do chores and give them a small allowance but I really don't think it'll sink in until they get a real job.

[ninaoquinn 0]

LOL!! I have a 12 year old that feels the same way about "Abercrombie." Although, when it's HER money that she's spending, it's amazing how quickly she finds the "sale" and "clearance" racks. When it's MY money...lol...the same racks miraculously disappear. ....I'm just happy that she is the last one of three girls...(21, 19, 12)...when she's all grown, I might actually have some money in my pocket...lol...I feel your pain, Doodle...but trust me, they all go back to shopping at Wal-Mart when they start needing gas in their cars...

[aya*abouelnasr 0]

Here is what my youngest said to me one day when I offered him money if he would clean his room.

Nick: Mom, why can't we live in a Mansion?

Me: I don't have a job to make enough money so that we can live in a mansion, what is wrong with the home we live in now?

Nick: My room is dirty.

Me: So clean it like I clean the rest of the house.

Nick: But can you get another job so we can live in a Mansion?

Me: UH, NO?

Nick: Why can't you?

Me: Why can't you clean your room?

Nick: I don't want to.

Me: The same reason I don't want to work two jobs, I don't want to.

Nick: So, you won't get another job so we can live in a Mansion?

Me: NO, and even if I did have another job, we still couldn't live in a mansion. And why do you want to live in a mansion anyway?

Nick: Because if we lived in a Mansion, it would mean you were rich. If we were rich, you could hire a maid, and then I wouldn't HAVE TO CLEAN MY ROOM!!!

Needless to say, the maid didn't clean his room, but I did. LOL

[doodlebug 3]

Here is what my youngest said to me one day when I offered him money if he would clean his room.

Nick: Mom, why can't we live in a Mansion?

Me: I don't have a job to make enough money so that we can live in a mansion, what is wrong with the home we live in now?

Nick: My room is dirty.

Me: So clean it like I clean the rest of the house.

Nick: But can you get another job so we can live in a Mansion?

Me: UH, NO?

Nick: Why can't you?

Me: Why can't you clean your room?

Nick: I don't want to.

Me: The same reason I don't want to work two jobs, I don't want to.

Nick: So, you won't get another job so we can live in a Mansion?

Me: NO, and even if I did have another job, we still couldn't live in a mansion. And why do you want to live in a mansion anyway?

Nick: Because if we lived in a Mansion, it would mean you were rich. If we were rich, you could hire a maid, and then I wouldn't HAVE TO CLEAN MY ROOM!!!

Needless to say, the maid didn't clean his room, but I did. LOL

Well I got to the point where I refused to clean their rooms anymore. I think it was last year sometime. I didn't just go cold turkey, I would make a list with boxes for them to check off so that they'd feel like they accomplished something, you know? Simple step by step instructions like, empty trash, put dirty laundry down cellar, put books in book bucket, put toys in toy bucket, etc. etc.

That only works after a good two hours of nagging from me though...unless it is a Saturday when we're going shopping, like today, and then I say that we won't go until it's done.

Today though, we watched Clean Sweep which they had never seen before in the morning. Wouldn't ya know when we got home from shopping the oldest got together with the youngest and they totally bagged up about 6 huge garbage bags worth of stuff they were willing to toss and cleaned their rooms!!!

[maggieNomar 0]

its been one hell of a Saturday

What happened?? yesterday you were dancing because it was pay day..

[maggieNomar 0]

Here is what my youngest said to me one day when I offered him money if he would clean his room.

Nick: Mom, why can't we live in a Mansion?

Me: I don't have a job to make enough money so that we can live in a mansion, what is wrong with the home we live in now?

Nick: My room is dirty.

Me: So clean it like I clean the rest of the house.

Nick: But can you get another job so we can live in a Mansion?

Me: UH, NO?

Nick: Why can't you?

Me: Why can't you clean your room?

Nick: I don't want to.

Me: The same reason I don't want to work two jobs, I don't want to.

Nick: So, you won't get another job so we can live in a Mansion?

Me: NO, and even if I did have another job, we still couldn't live in a mansion. And why do you want to live in a mansion anyway?

Nick: Because if we lived in a Mansion, it would mean you were rich. If we were rich, you could hire a maid, and then I wouldn't HAVE TO CLEAN MY ROOM!!!

Needless to say, the maid didn't clean his room, but I did. LOL

I think I heard MY son saying those very words when I read that!! That would make a great sunday comic strip.

[chaishai 1]

LOL!! I have a 12 year old that feels the same way about "Abercrombie." Although, when it's HER money that she's spending, it's amazing how quickly she finds the "sale" and "clearance" racks. When it's MY money...lol...the same racks miraculously disappear. ....I'm just happy that she is the last one of three girls...(21, 19, 12)...when she's all grown, I might actually have some money in my pocket...lol...I feel your pain, Doodle...but trust me, they all go back to shopping at Wal-Mart when they start needing gas in their cars...

I am so glad that I have two boys. Although they are little now so who knows how they will be when they know about things - my almost 5 year old has already had me get him crocs. The nice thing is that he is going to private school Gd willing, and he is only allowed to wear certain styles in certain colors. Its not a specific uniform - but a very strict dress code of about three color shirts and styles and two kinds of pants - no cargo or jeans! so hopefully this will at least keep the trendy clothes requests down to just weekends. although they are allowed to wear sneakers

[allousa 1]

Ah Doodle, don't count on it. LOL Tho I am happy as a lark buying from the clearance rack, and shopping at the dollar stores, two of my sons inherited the "rich" taste from their father. At ten and twelve they ask for cell phones, play stations, PSP players (whatever they are), Nikes, and want "label" clothes. I tell them to ask their dad for these things and they roll their eyes at me. LOL Right, you don't get them from me and you don't get them from your dad, so I guess you need to get a job! LOL The other ten year old could care less, half the time I am lucky if I can get him to wear clothes that actually matck. But they do match mom, see they both have blue in them, No honey, checks and stripes don't go together, EVER LOL

So it's the boys too???

Wow my oldest is 11 1/2 so maybe it's that age...but seriously she's been like this for a good year though. There's this certain "clique" she's in and they all have to have their Abercrombie t-shirts/sweats and the Ugg boots and the Hollister book bags. My youngest is a lil skater girl wanna be and always has to stand OUT from the crowd. Then again whenever her particular friends get a new nintendo ds game she has to get it too so I guess it's just vented in a different direction...electronically instead of with clothes.

I know it won't go away till their in their twenties so I have a LOOONG way to go. And they sooo know how to get their dad to take them shopping too. He's a sucker for those big brown eyes and the long lashes and the puppy dog face. lol. What's worked for me though is layin' it all on the line and giving them an actual budget with which to go by. They now know how much things cost and that when you buy a big ticket item it means you don't get as many of them, etc. The next step is to make them realize what it takes to actually earn the money. I do have them do chores and give them a small allowance but I really don't think it'll sink in until they get a real job.

Does it ever really sink in until you have to start paying a mortgage....or rent?????

[chaishai 1]

somewhat relevant article

http://www.slate.com/id/2172705/nav/tap1/

http://www.slate.com/id/2172705/nav/tap1/

[Sand 5]

YooooHoooooo It's Sunday