My son is a no longer a child, at least according to the law. He is 18 years old, registered for the draft and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound (OK - maybe not that last one).
As a "man" he feels a certain responsibility in the house. After all, once his dad moved out - he got to sit at the head of the dinner table - the 2 or 3 times a year we actually sat at the dinner table. Those responsibilities include picking on his sister, doing whatever his sister asks (after fighting with her about it), and explaining to me why he didn't do any of the things I told him to do.
I have to say, he is more likely to do his chores then his sister, I just have to tell him several times to do them. He also like to try to negotiate every little thing to the point of never actually dong anything.
Boy Child: I'll mow the yard if I get Outback for dinner.
Me: You'll mow the yard if you want dinner - period.
Boy Child: But we can still get Outback for dinner.
Me: Mow the yard.
Boy Child: So we're getting Outback.
Me: No.
Boy Child: But we have to have dinner anyway, and this way we both get what we want.
ME: Mow the lawn!
Boy Child: It looks like rain, I'll mow it tomorrow.
Me; It didn't look like rain when I first told you to mow -at least get it started.
Boy Child: I'd hate to get the lawn mower wet.
Me: It will survive.
Boy Child: It might rust.
Me: MOW
Boy Child: I have to go to the bathroom.
15 minutes later
Me: I was getting worried about you.
Boy Child: So about Outback for dinner...
Me: You haven't mowed the yard.
Boy Child: OK- I'll go mow and then we can get go to Outback.
Goes to the garage. Cant's start the mower. He comes back in a gets a drink.
Me; Why aren't you mowing?
Boy Child: It won't start
Me: Did you put gas in it.
Boy Child: No.
Me: You should try that.
Boy Child: How?
Me: The same way as last time.
Thunder
Boy Child: I told you it was going to rain. Let's go to Outback.
So when a new man came into the house, he realized his position of biggest pain in the ass could possibly be usurped. He wasn't sure how to take it.
He saw that on one hand - someone else to do those "Man Chores" mom is always asking him to do - on the other hand - someone who doesn't stand there and listen to his shit. Not that my fiance' has tried to tell him what to do (though he has tried to show him how to do some things) , it's more that he has told him to stop the games and just do what I tell him to do.
You would think I would appreciate this - and I do, sometimes. At other times, my fiance' doesn't get that we are playing a game that pokes fun of our own communication with each other. I don't blame him for not knowing the difference, sometimes we can't tell the difference either.
The deciding factor for my son was when we got engaged. He knew, even though she didn't say it, that his sister wasn't happy. So he said - he was against it. He was going to stand in solidarity with his sister. As long as she was unhappy about it - he was not going to accept it. Plus he doesn't want to share a bathroom my fiance's son. Most importantly, he doesn't want to lose the Media room.
Next up: The Media Room - When giving everyone what they want turns out to be the worst thing you can do.
No comments:
Post a Comment