Maybe I broke my kids or we have a genetic disorder

I recently had a melt down that was set off by several factors. Full trash cans being passed by several times over the course of a day - or two. Dinner being eaten and then the eaters are just *poof* gone, like they were never there except for the dirty dishes. Asking someone to clean a bathroom, being told the bathroom had been cleaned and then seeing the bathroom and realizing that the definition of clean varies. Clothes that had been gathered, sorted, pockets emptied, washed, dried, sorted again dumped onto the floor when there is a perfectly good closet 2 feet away. The dumpers were sitting on their beds either playing video games or looking at individual screens or maybe both. Wiping pee drops off of toilet seats & dribbles on bathroom floors are just not my favorite tasks.

Before going any further, I admit that my clothes spent most of their time on the floor & my closet looks like a bomb went off in there most of the time. Maybe I'm battling an unknown genetic disorder that causes people to throw clean clothes on the floor and then rummage through them in order to find something thus mixing dirty and clean.

A couple of weeks ago, Tate and I sat down and made a chore chart for him. We picked some easy things that he can do (putting away his clothes is one of them. still waiting to see if he has the disorder). He hung his chart in his closet (the Harry Potter Closet that he hangs out in, not in his clothes closet) and we talked about their being some sort of monetary reward for when he checks off all of the boxes. He wants -you'll never guess- more legos. (The Danes are clearly brilliant.)

After the above-mentioned melt down, I made chore/expectation charts for each of the big kids. I had thought that maybe we had grown out of the need for chore charts. Having assigned nights for cleaning the kitchen often backfires when there is a sporting event or practice, church stuff starts early for some reason or there's an extra amount of homework. (at this point I could say something about the kids that that would never apply to because some kids seem to really not care but I won't because that seems mean)

Apparently, my liberal use of chore charts over many years has made it so my kids only react to a chart, a written list (usually in sharpie) or a screaming, frothing madwoman. They're broken & the only way to fix it is to post charts in their rooms and on the fridge. This also helps Dad know who should be doing what when. Guess we'll see how it works. I also said that I'm not gathering dirty clothes to wash, they need to bring them down to the laundry room Tuesday nights & Saturday mornings. It's Tuesday, right? Unless they did that while I put Tate to bed, I think tomorrow is going to be laundry free because I didn't remind anyone.

I may need hourly reminders tomorrow not to go around gathering the piles of dirty clothes that have been growing since Sunday. I'm not trying to be SuperMom. I just want to keep the screaming & frothing at bay and maybe make them so their college roommates and future spouses don't want to strangle them with their bare hands.

PS. There's not enough kids in that scene. I want credit where credit is due.

Oh the sights you will see~

Oh the places you'll go and then want to never go again.
Oh the things you will hear that you will wish you hadn't.
Oh the sights that you'll see, then erase immediately.

Should I rank the sights and sounds of the day based on how bad they were or just go in chronological order? Warning: there will be bad words.

First stop: the bank. Banks sometimes feel like libraries, don't they? They're generally quiet & the people in them are serious. Is it just me? I left home feeling great that I got to run errands alone after a week of being cooped up sick or with sick kids. And then I stood in line at the bank with a little boy and his mom. He looked like he was between 8 and 10. They were having a conversation about valentines which went like that this:
Mom - "Did you get me a valentine?"
Kid - "What? A what? Am I getting you a valentine?"
Mom - "I'm the girl so you get me the presents."
Kid - something like "forget it. you get me presents."
blah blah blah & I tuned out until I heard her call her kid a 'pain in the ass'. Ok, that's a little harsh & pretty rude to say in the bank line. She wasn't done. She actually called her kid a dick. Yes. That is not a typo or spelling error. Also, I think a smart ass at some point during their bank visit but after the D word, anything else not starting with F probably went in one of my ears and out the other.
Good Job, Mom in the Bank. You're teaching your son some super vocab lessons & he's probably not going to go looking for ways to feel better about himself that will probably damage himself or others. Mom in the Bank gets a Super Mom Award.

Next stop: Walmart. I know what you're thinking. You should expect all manner of crazy at Walmart. There are websites and youtube videos based on that premise. True and the Walmart in Rocklin today seemed to be populated with young adult weed smokers. I think all of their parents kicked them out of basements all over the area today & told them to buy their own snacks. And booze. It was a routine freak show until I got to the register and stood in line between a Mom, her daughter and her daughter's teenage boyfriend. I'd guess 16-17. Teenage Boy was in warmup pants. Teenage Girl had some kind of tiara and sash on over her jeans & t-shirt. I have no idea what was up with that. I didn't have the brain power to eavesdrop & figure out the tiara and sash because Teenage Boy had his hands (both of them) down the front of this pants the ENTIRE time we were in line. Honestly, I'm still stunned into wordlessness.

Teenage Boy, Teenage Girl & BoobJob Mom left & as I was putting my stuff up on the thing, a lady walks up behind me with a thing of soda and saltine crackers looking like she might hurl at any moment. Too many times I have crunched a saltine cracker in the (futile) attempt to keep from hurling in a store, car, drive through lane, college class, church, sidewalk, etc. You get the idea & I got her idea at one glance. So I said "Go in front of me." You'd think I offered her a million dollars or a Get Out of Vomit for Free Card. (if only those existed.) Honestly, people, small acts of kindness and mercy should not be shocking, it's depressing.

One more thing, as I pick my 12 pack of Danimals up, I realize there are only 10 Danimals in the package. Yep, some classy Walmart goer stole 2 of the Danimals. I assume that their kids were starving and needed fortification instantly, and Free, while they were in the yogurt section.

Maybe I'm teaching my kids the wrong stuff. Don't call people bad names, keep your hands out of your pants, think of others first and don't steal...just the basics. I thought.