Did you ever lose your temper with your kids

[ozarkmom]

I know how you feel. My oldest DS is 19 and home from college too. He's a great kid in every way except for being a slob. His stuff that he brought home was sitting in our family room for 2 weeks and I finally dumped it all in his room and it's still there. His friends tend to hang out at our house and that's okay but they're pretty bad about not picking up after themselves. I've said something to DS and I think his sister & brother are actually picking the stuff up now. He works and coaches little league baseball and that's his excuse for not cleaning his room. I do on occasion go off on my kids after a long day at work and I walk into the house to see dirty dishes and no one has let the dog out the fridge isn't closed all the way (this was Tuesday and I did blow up). I think we're over due a family meeting!

 

[Lynn CC]

My house is hang out central too! DS is home from college and his cousin (my nephew) is here for most of the summer too. HS and college friends come and go at all hours of the night (I think they are nocturnal), it is a mess, but they do clean up. DH and I are just loving it, we like having them around as long as they aren't too loud out at the pool during the night, don't want to disturb the neighbors, the flood lights are bad enough LOL
We have one DS and it's nice to have him home, he does all the cooking for everyone, he makes some terrific meals. His cousin cleans up a lot of the mess, then I just touch up everything!
Summers are too short

Tiggeroo - Sorry they upset you to tears, just let them know what you expect your DS and his friends and they should try and be more like adults and clean up after themselves. I think they get used to living in the dorms!
My DS has one extra room in the house that is FULL of boxes of his stuff and the pool table is in the middle of the room, guess they won't be playing pool this summer. He's not unpacking just to pack it all back up in Sept. LOL
DS's friends are very respectful and helpful and they love to come over,
FREE FOOD! How's your grocery bill?

 

[Tiggeroo]

Lynn, that's how I feel. That's exactly what I told the boys. I have so little time left with them home, even for summers. I don't want to spend it fighting over dishes and laundry. It seems petty but it's a stress. Their friends come and go all hours too. They might all go into the kitchen and make ramen noodles at 1am. I wasn't working in the summer but I just took a job. So now we're all busy.

 

[ozarkmom]

Wow so this college age eating ramen noodles at 1:00 am isn't just my house?
They were coming in and cooking chicken strips & fries and DH told them no more deep frying in the middle of the night. They eat alot of those noodles though and sometimes they bring pizza or subway with them. I really don't mind them being here I just want them to pick up their mess!

Also 16 yr. old DD would like for the guys to quit eating her cosmic brownies!

We came home Saturday night and they were all over watching a fight on HBO and DD comes to my room waving 2 empty boxes shreiking they've eaten all of MY cosmic brownies!!

 

[Tiggeroo]

ramen noodles, pizza bites, cereal, chicken tenders if I have them, ice pops, anything quick and pretty easy.

 

[Michie]

Our kitchen closes at 11 p.m. Gosh I sound like a meany. If they want something that late it has to be fruit or something that does not require cooking ( which they are so loud it would wake up the entire neighborhood ) or cleaning dishes.

 

[Mike.Wazowski]

trash bags




I tell my kids - who are 12 and 5 mind you)
that if they will not clean up I will THROW IT OUT
and they KNOW I will never replace what was thrown out -

so it gets cleaned


but you have to follow thru (which is a pita if you ahve to do it!)

 

[Sherri]

To the OP, I love the jersey shore and if I still had a house so close to the beach, I would never, ever, ever consider moving.
As far as their friends, I am quite sure that they have ALL seen their parents pushed a little too far atleast ONCE in their lives.
I understand what you are saying. The friends could just offer to help the boys get their things in order so they can go out. That would have been a better plan. Kids don't always think logically.
Their friends see that you are only human. When talking about it and thinking about it, they will see that what you were asking was a reasonable thing.
There will be peace again in your household and with their friends.