General Chat

I am doing some research at work looking at the different ways we ask our children or tell our children to do things . for example......pick up your toys please....would you like to pick up your toys?...shall we pick up the toys?.....why do you always leave your toys all ove the floor?......I would love to hear your examples of either what you say or you have heard others say to their children........In the interests of science please be honest, however bad it sounds lol you can always say you heard someone else say it in tesco pmsl...look forward to hearing your comments Web xx

I usually say 'Can we have a little tidy up please'

I always ask nicely....'could you please' .... and a thank you when they have done it. They know I'm annoyed if I have to ask more than twice :))

ok i will start..........new years day my house is a bombsite, my son came in and i said/shouted lol 'are you gonna leave your stuff all over the place til you go back to college?' when what i really ment is 'pick it all up now!!' he replied...'yep i thought i would' and walked out lol...obviously conversation didnt stop there but that is another story lmao

To my 3 year old it's usually 'come and help mummy put yor toys away' To my 15 year old it's ' GET THIS ROOM DONE NOW!' Fiona. x

~~~~~~~~~waves ~~~~~~Jo How are you?? Carol

Hiya I usually try the asking first but more often that not it doesnt work...lol Dont know if this is relevant or not but i have read Men are from mars and women are from venus and in that it states that you should never ask for example can you take out the rubbish as they are going to answer with i can but i wont..lol

you are so right butterfly...only ask a question....would you like to tify up...if it is ok for the answer to be no lol hi carol.....how u doing....how do u get your son or hubby to do stuff lol

It doesn't seem to matter whether I ask nicely, shout or make a sarcastic comment, it's always met with grumblings and arguments! lol

I was a Very Bad Mummy. If I have to pick these toys up I'm putting them straight in the bin. Getting men to do things - do it loudly and BADLY myself, muttering things like 'I can't see how this pedal bin works' or 'How do I get the top off this paint tin' 'I'm sure there's something wrong with this hoover, it isn't picking up properly, I better take it in to be repaired' Always worked for me! OC

Jeanette - have you tried copying their behaviour? When they ask, for example, 'What's for dinner?' moan and whinge about why should you always have to cook dinner, it's not fair, etc. Use the words they use back at them. This should lead to a discussion about why it's everyone's responsibility to keep the house clean, etc. Monica

Hi Monica Yes I've tried that. They just look at me as though I've taken leave of my senses! lol My eldest is the worst. Her bedroom is a pigsty. The youngest has just made some biscuits and is cleaning all of the stuff she has used and has put the dishwasher on. She has just asked if she can clean the cooker top too. On the other hand she has left all of the craft stuff she has been using strewn all over the floor and I know she isn't going to be happy when I ask her to clear it up! lol

i always say can you do the dishes to my daughter saying that if she doesn't do her allocated chores she doesn't get her pocket moneyxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx((((:

I must admit with my 2 (their 6 & 9) i normally only have to ask them the once i say Can you tidy up your toys please.

Hi Web, After telling them how I expect their rooms to be and why, (nine hundred times) I just tell them now, if it isn't sorted - it goes in the bin. Tina x

'can you tidy up your toys please?' 10 minutes later 'Oh I see you don't want your toys anymore - I'll just get the black sack' 2 seconds later - toys being tidied :-)

My method is the same as Pennys xx

I tend to say it nice first 'please can you pick your stuff up and put it in your room'? then this usually gets ignored- so I end up saying PICK YOUR STUFF UP NOW OR I WILL THROW IT IN THE BIN- the threat of the bin usually does the trick. catherine xx

Hi,living at home now i have 2 x teenagers ,chalk and cheese. One only as to be told to tidy her ,with a please at the end. The older one, ' the laptop will disppear if this room is not tidy. ' The 7 yr old is often asked and eventually does it,sometimes after i have sworn about the mess, i might add i don't swear at my child. Even though sometimes i would like to. The almost 3 yr old is like the teenager , she refuses .But she she does responed to stickers,i found this out at playgroup.So to encourage her i will get some. I too have put toys in the ' bin ' as the 3 yr old found out the other day ,lol. Tina

mine r 14 and 10. I've just bought a star chat with rewards and stickers on each--is that desperation or what!!! :-) Carol x