Dear Lord, the drama! Asked a teen to tidy their room...

[EleanorLavish]

Ever want to just escape your child?
Genuinely think DH is about to explode.
Teen has given up sliding along the walls and wailing, telling us to do it as it’s our house, you do it if you’re so fussy,blah blah blah.
Changed tack to begging us to help, saying they didn’t know how (to pick clothes up off floor??) ordering us to help...
God it’s so exhausting!
However room is done, if they would just go to bed as I suspect it’s extreme tiredness due to all the back to school stuff.
Teens can be such a PITA!
We adopted a ‘don’t engage’ stance. I need a drink.

My only bedroom rule is nothing decomposing, rotting, or crusting onto plates that needs chiselling off. I’d also instigate a nothing that stinks from beyond the bedroom door rule but tbf that’s never been required.

I’ll only wash what’s in the basket, and if the floor is clear when I’m vacuuming upstairs I’ll do it for them if they want. I’ll also clean their bathroom if it’s tidy. And regularly need to tell them that there aren’t ample pots left in the kitchen to cook and serve dinner. Otherwise it’s their rooms, their choice.

They don’t swear at me or call me names but I pick my battles and generally ignore low level mutterings. For instance when about an hour ago I confirmed we didn’t have any melon and could hear half hearted rummaging in the fridge and ’ffs we never have anything edible’, at a volume for talking to herself rather than shouting it at me I just ignored it. And then she reappeared with a large selection of all the non existent food and chatted away happily before disappearing back up to her lair.