Things I Failed to Teach My Son


My husband and I raised a pretty smart and well-rounded young man.  He's not a genius, but for the most part he does have common sense.  (Which we all know is not that common.)  He is generally a kind and compassionate human being.  (Well, at least to the rest of the world.  To his father and I, well...he's a hormonal teenager...what else can I say?)   He says please and thank you.  He makes his bed religiously. (I wish I knew how he does it.)  Yes, he is a good person.

Raising a child is a challenge and there are lots of struggles!  (LOTS of struggles!)  Overall, I think we taught him well, but there are things that I (we?) failed to get across.  Things like:

  • Toothpaste cap goes back on the toothpaste.
  • Caps/tops need to be put back on after they are removed.
  • Items that you remove from the refrigerator/freezer need to be returned back there after you have finished with them.  Of if you have used whatever it was up, throw it away.
  • If you use something up and you want more, tell somebody.
  • If you are going to have more than one cup of tea, it's okay to use the same teabag.
  • Dirty/used glasses, dishes, etc.  Should not be living in your bedroom.
  • It's NOT a bad idea to declutter, dust and vacuum your room every once in a while.  (Once a quarter?)
  • Dishes left in the sink do not mysteriously get clean; rinse and place in dishwasher OR wash them by hand.
  • Empty bottles don't get recycled in they stay in your bedroom or sit the kitchen table.
  • The garbage gets picked up every Monday and Thursday so the trash needs to be put out EVERY Sunday and Wednesday night.
  • Washing dishes by hand requires dishwashing soap and scrubbing with a cloth or sponge.  It also requires a fine eye to make sure all the "gunk" is cleaned.  Dishes can be left to dry in the rack OR died with a hand towel.
  • Towels that lie wadded up anywhere in the house do not dry.
  • Towels that are hung up dry better if they are hung up neatly.
  • Socks that are balled up do not get clean in the washer or dryer.
  • Don't leave gardening supplies or tools outside once you have used them; put them away.
  • When the alarm goes off, you are supposed to get up.  If you want to sleep a little longer, don't turn off the alarm, hit snooze. (Or set up a snooze function on your phone.)
  • The alarm goes off at the same time every day; you have the same amount of time every day. It's up to you to decide how to use it.
  • Make your own darned lunch!
  • It's always going to take longer to clean off your car than you think.  It helps if you turn on your car and put on the defrosters on, which will make things go a little faster.
  • Deadlines are not optional.
  • Extra credit options should always be taken.  
  • Don't procrastinate!
  • Pounding on your laptop will not make it work better.  Ask for help when you need it; it's okay.
  • Your mother is NOT an ATM.  (Neither is your dad.)
  • When you use a debit card or take money out of the bank, when it's gone, it's gone.  Unless you put money in, you are going to be left with nothing but debt.
  • Is that purchase really necessary?  Think before you buy!
  • Your parents are not perfect, but they do have life experiences that you have not yet had.  Listen (occasionally) to what they say.  It might be helpful.  You might be glad you did.

I suppose it's not too late to try and bring my son up to speed.  Is it?  Feel free to share your tips and lessons...after all, I'm still learning too!

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