Teaching a 9 year old that inanimate objects don't get up and walk away

[Disney1fan2002]

ARRRGGH.

I gave him his clothes to get dressed. Included in the clothes were a pair of socks. He is wandering around supposedly looking for them. He tells me he put them on the chair, and points to the exact spot he put them on. I am telling him since I am the only one in the house with him, I have not even been to that area of the room today, the socks did not walk away. If they are not on the chair, then he did not put them there.

That's his excuse for not looking any further for his socks, he put them on the chair. So darn it, they better just appear in front of his face. Well, I am not helping him out of this dilemma. It's time he learns how to solve a problem on his own. I wonder if he'll figure out he can just go to his drawer and get another pair of socks before it's time to leave for his bus?

 

[golfgal]

Why are you still picking out his clothes??? Maybe that is the problem-he knows you will take care of it so why should he bother.

 

[Disney1fan2002]

Why are you still picking out his clothes??? Maybe that is the problem-he knows you will take care of it so why should he bother.

He had his clothes laid out last night. He asked me to get them from his room while he was getting in the shower.

 

[Frantasmic]

FINALLY! Proof that we aren't the only family afflicted with "clothing and anything we give our son" gremlins!

~father of an 8-year old

 

[Mouse House Mama]

Let him go with no socks. That seems to make things magically appear.

 

[HM]

Hey...it may never get any better.

My 16 year old will tell me he put something in a particular place and when I go to look for it after instructing him to search everywhere, I usually find it in some other location, and he'll say- "oh yeah, I forgot that I moved it there" or some such.

Lately we've had to do a lot of the "retracing your steps" kind of searching for things. That works really well, most of the time.

(Oh, and usually the reason I end up looking for something, is that it bothers me to no end to wonder where stuff is....so I have to find it if they can't).

 

[sunnyday123]

The items in our house don't get up and walk away as much as they burrow under things. A few days of having to go to school with no socks and underwear ( I was really worried that day!) cured it. Now DD puts all of her clothes out together-a complete set in one specific place.

 

[Poohgirl]

I get the "mom what did you do with my such-and-such" or "mom, where is my ipod (shoes, phone, books, video games etc...)". Answer to all of the above, "where you left it, I am not responsible for your belongings". However after several years of this, it still has not sunk in and Mom is always the gremlin item mover.

ETA: and mine are 13 and 11!

 

[3boymthr]

I now take comfort in knowing my kids aren't the only ones.

But take comfort, It's even more fun when I find my stuff in places I KNOW I didn't put it and they don't know how it got there. Seriously, I open the door Tuesday to let them out for the bus and there on the outside stairs are two of my shoes. Neither shoe matched and they're winter shoes so I know I didn't accidentally leave them there (not that I'm apt to take my shoes off outside but I have been known to do strange things when cleaning). When I asked who put them there and the response from all three of my children is "not me." Extensive detailed questioning still didn't result in a resolution. The bad part, one of the shoes is my dress pair of tan heels that cost almost $100 and it had rained the night before

 

[disney1990]

Things definitely get up and walk away in my house. It is only DH and me and things walk all the time. It doesn't get any better.

 

[RadioNate]

Happens here too. 8 year old boy! His idea of "looking" for something is glancing around the room at really obvious places. I think he gets that from his dad!

He is constantly misplacing the remote control and if he can't see it from his spot on the couch it is lost and I hear cries of "MOM!!! I can't find the TV thing." It doesn't matter that he is sitting on it....he couldn't find it!

ugggggh

 

[jlima]

ARRRGGH.

I gave him his clothes to get dressed. Included in the clothes were a pair of socks. He is wandering around supposedly looking for them. He tells me he put them on the chair, and points to the exact spot he put them on. I am telling him since I am the only one in the house with him, I have not even been to that area of the room today, the socks did not walk away. If they are not on the chair, then he did not put them there.

That's his excuse for not looking any further for his socks, he put them on the chair. So darn it, they better just appear in front of his face. Well, I am not helping him out of this dilemma. It's time he learns how to solve a problem on his own. I wonder if he'll figure out he can just go to his drawer and get another pair of socks before it's time to leave for his bus?

Is he DS9's long-lost twin?

DS9 will play with our cats in the morning as he gets dressed. What usually happens is the socks & belt will end up under the covers and then I'll hear "MOM WHERE ARE MY _____?" I usually say "Where were they the last time?" or ? "If you never left the bed, where do you think they are?"

I am their mother, not the maid. At some point they have to solve their own problems.

 

[Angelhalo]

I get the "mom what did you do with my such-and-such" or "mom, where is my ipod (shoes, phone, books, video games etc...)". Answer to all of the above, "where you left it, I am not responsible for your belongings". However after several years of this, it still has not sunk in and Mom is always the gremlin item mover.

ETA: and mine are 13 and 11!

I have this exact same issue with my 37 year old husband. I'm like I DO NOT KEEP TRACK OF YOUR STUFF!!!!

 

[SaraJayne]

Is he DS9's long-lost twin?

DS9 will play with our cats in the morning as he gets dressed. What usually happens is the socks & belt will end up under the covers and then I'll hear "MOM WHERE ARE MY _____?" I usually say "Where were they the last time?" or ? "If you never left the bed, where do you think they are?"

I am their mother, not the maid. At some point they have to solve their own problems.

BINGO!!