We all know those co-workers—the ones who don’t clean up after themselves: they leave a mess in the company microwave and leave their dishes stacked in the sink, just assuming that someone else will clean up after them. I don’t know if I have ever worked at a job where there was not at least one of those people who had never learned the lesson of how to clean up after themselves and have some consideration for others. I am determined that my kids will NOT be that coworker.
I know that I cannot fully control what sort of adults my children grow up to be, but I also have to have some goals and guidelines. As a single parent, I know that I also place a high premium on independence and learning how to hold up one’s part of things. I feel like not only do I need to help my children become good people and citizens, but they also need to learn how to be good workers, contributing members of society, and how to take care of themselves and NOT create an extra burden on other people. After all, I would HATE to know others were talking about my kids or commenting on their home training the way I have heard coworkers and colleagues talk about those individuals who still expect others to pick up after them. One of my jobs as a parent is to try to make sure that doesn’t happen.
As parents, we need to set the expectations while our children are still under our care. We are not just to make sure they are happy and well cared-for today, but that they will be decent human beings when they fly the nest. To me, this means making sure that they have basic manners, consideration, and know how to take care of their own stuff and this means cleaning up after themselves and doing their part.
See Also: Dealing with Difficult Neighbors
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