Giving visitors chores

[spacemountainmom]

I would love to be a mouse in THAT house. I cannot imagine this "visit" going very well.

Please do update after they go home.

 

[xlxo]

Thoughts....

• this is the main reason I go looking for cheap motel when I travel.
• when I'm on vacation.... I expect to be doing tourist things.... not exploring your yard and home.
• what are the nearby hotels charging each night for a stay? I'll be happy to pay $200 a night to avoid those chores.
• do you trust them on those chores?
  • girls pulling weeds... are they pulling down to the roots or only what you see on the surface? Dandelions are easy.... clovers are brutal.
  • mowing the lawn.... gas or electric? I can imagine a fire or running the mower over the extension cord. Where's the brakes?
  • vacuuming, dusting.... you might find more than dust in the canister. Running a vacuum over a computer keyboard can have the keys ripped out.
  • cleaning bathrooms.... steel wool works wonders
  • mopping the floors.... how much water should I be using? How important is it to rinse? Can I use the leaf blower?
  • being on "baby duty"... is that diaper on securely? Can you flip it front to back and inside out to maximize use?

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Sounds like more of a "prison sentence" than a "visit".

LMAO what a vacation. Yayyyyy. We get to feel like the losing team on Hell's Kitchen!!!!

 

[jevs]

Way over the top in my opinion. There is a difference between cleaning up after yourself - which is what I would expect them to do, to weeding gardens and the like.

If she wants them off the electronic devices she'll need to put some thought into other activities for them to do.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Way over the top in my opinion. There is a difference between cleaning up after yourself - which is what I would expect them to do, to weeding gardens and the like.

If she wants them off the electronic devices she'll need to put some thought into other activities for them to do.

I'd be taking them to the local water park or mini golf or the like if it were my out of town teen relatives.

 

[SgtTibbs]

Her reasoning was because if she didn't keep them busy, they would just play on their phones all day.

That's a red flag in my book. She's admitting this is all just busy work. No one likes busy work.

 

[KathyTX]

Mowing the lawn???? Good grief, this is wayyyy over the top.

 

[cornflkgrl]

The only time I'd expect kids to do chores as guests on a vacation is if they went to stay on a working farm or ranch where not helping or playing a part in daily chores would mean they would be left alone or unattended all day which would be inappropriate -- so it would be natural to include them in the daily ranch work.

But stepping away from the garden or dusting for a week to spend time with some kids isn't neglecting a head of cattle. I think the dust will be fine. I can't imagine having someone else's kids over to clean my house when I can't get my own kids to clean their rooms.

 

[Magpie]

Thoughts....

• this is the main reason I go looking for cheap motel when I travel.
• when I'm on vacation.... I expect to be doing tourist things.... not exploring your yard and home.
• what are the nearby hotels charging each night for a stay? I'll be happy to pay $200 a night to avoid those chores.
• do you trust them on those chores?
  • girls pulling weeds... are they pulling down to the roots or only what you see on the surface? Dandelions are easy.... clovers are brutal.
  • mowing the lawn.... gas or electric? I can imagine a fire or running the mower over the extension cord. Where's the brakes?
  • vacuuming, dusting.... you might find more than dust in the canister. Running a vacuum over a computer keyboard can have the keys ripped out.
  • cleaning bathrooms.... steel wool works wonders
  • mopping the floors.... how much water should I be using? How important is it to rinse? Can I use the leaf blower?
  • being on "baby duty"... is that diaper on securely? Can you flip it front to back and inside out to maximize use?

You are evil.

 

[cabanafrau]

Self serving reasoning to explain her feelings of entitlement to a week of free indentured servants. I bet these cousins will be waiting for the day her little princes and princesses can come to visit them.

 

[tzolkin]

I would be thinking of activities to do as a family to keep them occupied (and for them to have an enjoyable visit). Movies, museums, parks, roast marshmallows, board games, etc.

I would not trust teens to be able to do those chores in my house. Yes, my own kids do them, but only after I have showed them how to properly do each job. It seems like the coworker plans to just give them a list and have them figure it out while she's at work. That seems like a recipe for disaster if the kids aren't familiar with these chores (or the specifics of her home/how she does things).

Normally, I don't expect guests to do anything, but I could see where teen relatives staying with you for a while could help out with general tasks (clearing the table, carrying in groceries, putting away their own laundry). My niece stayed with us last summer and we had her help out with little things like that so she felt like part of the family, but I couldn't imagine giving her a list of "chores" to complete. I don't even do that with my own children. (They do things the OP mentioned when I ask, but I don't give them a list of everything that needs to be done in my home and yard and expect them to do it.)

 

[Pamlur]

This kids already live with grandparents, and there is a story involved, so I'd assume that's not a really happy story. There is a relative who is obviously almost at the point of death, the girls are uprooted again to stay with an aunt who I am getting the feeling they don't know well. Then they are presented with a spreadsheet of chores they are expected to do, PLUS an active toddler they are supposed to take care of.

No. Just no.

 

[Vijoge]

Does she hate them?

 

[verleniahall]

my parents were like a PP stated - if they came over, they were expected to help out - if we cooked, they had to help with dishes, if they made a mess in my room, they had to help clean it up. If they left without doing so, they were not allowed back over for 2 weeks and the parents were called and they were explained to why. My parents felt like if they helped make the mess,they should help clean it up

OP - I can see both sides, but I DO think that the list is a little excessive on the co-workers part

 

[katie01]

Didn't they make a Disney movie about this? I think it was called "Cinderella"

 

[MickeySP]

Okay I will also be judgie - WHAT A CONTROL FREAK!!!

Does she have her own kids yet? Please don't let her breed.

 

[Vijoge]

Didn't they make a Disney movie about this? I think it was called "Cinderella"

I knew this story sounded familiar. . .

 

[mom2rtk]

It sounds like she wants to display her speshul superior parenting skills. The kind that only someone without a teenager could profess to have. It looks like she has made it her project to reform their wasted time on phones.

How awful for those girls. I hope she has a mutiny on her hands.

 

[sailorstitch]

OMG! I staid with my grandma for a week in the summer when I was little just because. I remember sitting and watching tv for hours on end while she did her yard work. She didn't want me outside while she was working. Something about it being to dangerous for me to be outside while she's mowing.....

Thoughts....

• • being on "baby duty"... is that diaper on securely? Can you flip it front to back and inside out to maximize use?

Have you been watching Big Hero 6?

sailorstitch

 

[King Schultz]

Does she have their orange jump suits laid out yet?


WillyJ.