Be specific.

So I have decided that it is time to recruit the kiddies to start helping around the house with the cleaning. They are all old enough.

They were all quite happy to help out when I mentioned it to them. First on the list was Victoria and Olivia, on the evening they were supposed to dust the living room, tidy all the toys, and vacuum, I handed them a can of spray furniture polish, and said, "Here is the furniture polish, use a cloth to wipe down the tables and then vacuum."

At dinner we spoke of the chores and Victoria and Olivia explained all the hard work they had done to the rest of the kids, they sprayed the couches with the furniture polish, and washed the tables with water and a cloth...

Hold on, read that last sentence again! Yup you read it right, I was not specific enough. I laughed so hard when I heard what they had done.

This is not the only time this kind of thing has happened. If you have children you know what I am talking about. You must be clear and specific when giving instructions to children.

You can't say things like, "don't make a mess!" and expect them to know that that means, paint on the floor is a mess, paper on tables is a mess, shoes by the door is a mess, coats on a chair is a mess. You have to be specific.

When one of my children said "Can I put on my bathing suit before swim class so I don't have to change at the pool?" I answered, "of course, it will save time." It was January and I was not specific enough, my child showed up at the door when it was time to go wearing a bathing suit winter coat and boots...and nothing underneath but her bathing suit. Yup I had to be more specific and say you can wear your bathing suit under your clothes not just a winter coat.

Being a parent can be hard, it can be frustrating, and exhausting, but the natural comic relief and the unconditional love more than makes up for it.