Like Sands Through the Hourglass....

My, oh my. Things began to get good in the Brown house today.


     The ladies stayed the the night with Grandpa last night, which cost them $1.00. Dane said he was charging them for vacation time for staying at an all inclusive resort. He's so creative. Right now the girls really hate him, but I really love him.

     When they walked in this morning all bright and happy I gave them their list of things to do today to earn some money. One thing was I left every single dish that we dirtied yesterday and this morning on the counter for them. 1) I wanted them to have the opportunity to get some cash by doing a big job and B) because I made it a point to inform them that that is what it would look like all of the time if I never ever touched the dishes. I made sure to point out how much work that Dane and I both do around the house and we don't get paid for it because that's what you do, pick up after yourself and take on personal responsibility (that was last summers theme...they hate that phrase now). This whole thing caused a serious increase on the poutometer.

     Dane has slept about 5 hours in the last 48, so, after getting off at 7:30 this morning he is sleeping. The girls get free TV time today only. They were stoked. Then I told them that they had to clean their room first. This room looks like Justice just vomited in it (if you have little girls, you know what I'm talkin' about....that effing store). It's awful. Cue.....more pouting. Once they were in their room, Dane went in to collect rent (I didn't realize they were being charged $0.50 per day). They owe for Tuesday, Wednesday and today. So, lets make a little tally.....

Veronica took out a loan............$12.00
Owes me for lunch yesterday....$  1.60
Owes for rent ............................$  1.50

Gabby owed me for lunch and TV time yesterday so she paid me this morning.
She owes for rent $1.50
and her savings is dwindling fast.


     Veronica proceeded to giggle as Dane was telling them what they owed. At that point I informed them that this lesson was going to continue each week until their debts are paid in full because....life. Cue...silence.

     Dane asked them if they remembered what he had told them Monday when he was explaining to them why we were doing this. Neither one of them had anything to say. He repeated to them how their entitlement behavior the last week and weekend was unacceptable. He told them how many hours he has worked (and how he had an inmate throw urine on him on one shift) so that the girls and I could go to St. Louis with him over the weekend to have fun, and that all they did was complain and pout the entire weekend. He explained to them how much the house payment costs us each month (to which Gabby got wide eyed and said with panic in her voice, "I don't have that much money!") and that we were doing this on a much smaller scale for them to understand. He explained why we drive crappy cars; because they are paid off and we don't want to have debt. At that point a cat hacked up a hairball so I had to clean it up and get to work.

     I think with each passing day and by repeating the meaning behind what we are doing, they are finally getting it to sink in. I think they really hate me right now and I'm sure I'm the wicked stepmonster, but I hope that later on they will thank us. A friend posted on my Facebook that her parents did something similar to this when they were teenagers. Only on a bigger scale. They had to buy their clothes, hygiene products, everything. I really want to do that when they hit the teenage years. Believe me you, we won't be bailing them out when they grow up and neither will their mom and stepdad. I understand that a lot of parents want to give their children the things that they didn't have when they were growing up....I get it! I really do! BUT, I feel like that causes more harm then good. I'll spare you my soapbox...I digress....again....

Anyway, that's up to speed. We'll see how things go once I get home today!