Me First

Mistake #8My kids aren’t going to make this easy

You are about to implement some massive changes to how you invest your time. Your kids will not take these changes lying down (even though lying down often seems to be their preferred position when it comes to helping around the house). They will not be cheering you on from the sidelines in your campaign to invest your time the SMART way. On the contrary, they will be actively working against you, because your changes mean pain for them. They have suddenly been evicted from the executive floor of the hotel. They will be shocked and annoyed at having lost access to their personal maid service (a.k.a. you) and they will come out fighting.

Give them some credit. Your kids are not stupid — they will try every trick in the book in an attempt to wear you down. They will whinge, complain, argue and talk back. They will compliment you as being better at the chores than them. They will explain that they are too busy to do their chores because you told them to do their homework. They will tell you they have done their chores when they have not. They will pretend they don’t know how to do their chores. They will disappear.

It’s your turn to prove that you are not stupid.

My kids, like all kids, are master manipulators. When my oldest son was about 10, I added changing their bed linen to the kids’ chores. I remember dressing it up as an awesome opportunity:

‘This is so great — you get to choose the doona cover you want!’

My son was initially ...