Laundry "Boot Camp"

I have had enough. I went just a little spastic. I think Kevin's words were "out of control" but nonetheless, I had reached the end of my rope.

For years, I've told Joshua to hang his clothes up. We (honestly, mainly Kevin) wash his clothes and they return to us (sometimes even folded) thrown in with the dirty clothes. The older he gets, the worse it gets. You'll remember the lovely remodel we did of his room and the one thing he wanted was a closet organizer "to keep my clothes organized". Ok, done.

For the last THREE WEEKS, there have been piles of clothes all over his room. He moves them, hides them under blankets, in the closet, in baskets -- whereever -- while he continues to find time for TV and video games.

I asked him Saturday while I was working to get his clothes out, figure what was dirty and what was clean and to lay the clean things on the bed and I would HELP him hang them up. Nothing. I asked him Sunday to do it while I was working consignment. Nothing. Monday, I just flipped.

I went in his room and bagged them all up (chewing on him), told him that he was the only person in the house who was wearing brand name stuff like Hollister, Aeropostale, Nike, etc. and that if he didn't appreciate them enough to hang them up, I was taking them to Goodwill so someone who would appreciate them could have them. He got all upset, but I didn't care. Three bags, sitting at the door, ready to go. That night (after I calmed down a bit and had time to think rationally about how to teach him a lesson from this since nothing else seemed to be working), I told him he could earn his clothes back. Tomorrow (today now) he had to separate them out, wash them, dry them, iron them if necessary, hang them up and put them in his closet.

He is currently on load two (of five).

He will now be responsible for washing his own clothes. He is old enough and has now been taught the proper way to do it. Kevin and I will wash his football stuff, but everything else is his. I'm just tired of fighting with him about it. If he wants clean clothes, he can do it. If he wants to pile them in the floor, I will take them off. End of story.

As I speak, he is hanging clothes. Ahhhh.... so good to see a boy working!