Had enough of my family. I've gone on strike!

[Glastonbury2020]

Locked down with DH and 4 teenagers. Apart from me, no one:

• cooks any proper meals
• loads/ unloads the dishwasher
• puts a wash on
• wipes kitchen surfaces/ cooker top
• sweeps the floor
• cleans the bathroom
• makes lunch

I have had enough and I'm not doing it all anymore. Last night, I made myself a fish finger sandwich for dinner and ate it in my room. Ignored everyone when they wanted to know what was for dinner. This morning, I made breakfast for me and I'm now sitting in bed drinking tea. Rant over. Thank you for listening!

And how did your dp react when he came home to the same?

Well done you. It has to he everyones problem.

Oh my god - they are all useless! How utterly disrespectful of them.

DO NOT DO ANY OF IT.
They're waiting for you to crumble. They're a disgrace.

Sort out a nice dinner/tea for yourself and leave the cheeky buggers to it.

Did they cook the pork?

Stay strong

Lol, this is great. It needs to continue a lot longer so the need to do stuff becomes built into their minds.

My dcs apart from one are young. But one dc in particular goes around making a huge mess. I am easily overwhelmed and currently sitting in a heap secretly fuming. DH does his bit but I feel like we're fighting a losing battle. I'm fed up of sorting out everyone else's mess. My teen does very little - her bedroom is a tip/unhygienic, she will empty the dishwasher for which she is paid an inordinate amount of pocket money for just one job. Sometimes I crave a place of my own. I'm trying to declutter my bedroom which also seems to be a dumping place for everyone else's junk.

Is it over now, did everything go back to normal?

Do not give in! I have always worked full time and never cooked for the children in the week - we paid someone who did that and did school collection so I never started. Then the older son cooked for his 10 years younger twin brothers as he worked for me for 3 hours a day including that and school collection for a while and then when he left they had to manage themselves and as teenagers of course they can cook - anyone who can read can cook and they do all their own food shopping too having passed driving licences aged 17 . Now they are student age (one at home one away) the same continues. Even so I do all the cleaning which is okay because I know they will leave in the next few years but it is still unfair. Before my divorce their father did at least as much as I did domestically as we both work full time.

Keep strong and give us regular updates.

Also buy a mini fridge for your bedroom

@Glastonbury2020 how is it going?

Update! The training is ongoing! We have good days where everyone does their bit, then not so good days where they forget.
When this happens, I put my master plan in place- I head to my room with my food etc and they know what that means!
Things are better than they were, but maintaining it is hard for the little cherubs!
I'm not backing down. They can step up or ship out!

Legend!?!

Queen!!!

Have you all not sorted out a rota together?

Good on you for not caving

Def sounds like a rota would help, then they know when they need to step up. In fact with 4 teens and your dh just give them a day each and on that day they are expected to do a load of washing, cook dinner and clear up and one other job hoover/clean bathroom / sort rubbish recycling. That's 5 days covered already ......

Yay, OP! Good for you. I am sure they will get used to the change as time goes on. And well done for sticking up for yourself.

@Taikoo @DDiva

OP previously said (in a post on here) that she would be happy with a rota, but wouldn't be setting one up. She felt that would imply her family were doing her a favour by 'helping'. She wanted to wait to see what solutions the family would come up with. I agree with her approach

I have not and will not implement a rota. It is not my job to do so and I think it will be ignored to be honest. It's more of a 'who's cooking tonight because I'm not?' approach!

Totes, you're doing great 😂

Very impressed. I wish I had done more of this, although to be fair my DD helped a lot before she got her own flat which is sparkling clean thing of serenity ! (She also pays a cleaner !occasionally, she works 16 hours a day !!)
OH is pretty much cooking half now, I have stopped doing any of his ironing & just lob his dry laundry on a shelf, everything is mixed, odd sox, T-shirts, jeans :o) I t gives me great pleasure cramming his stuff in, As, after all, if he doesn't care, neither do I !!! he hasn't said anything, I'm waiting till he has nothing left that doesn't resemble a rag & see what happens ....

@Glastonbury2020 I did exactly the same last night! I'd completely had enough, and didn't want to lose my rag. Mine are younger dd11 and ds13 so I made dinner for them and packed myself off to my room with a beer, dinner and netflix on a laptop. It was liberating to say the least. They were both sheepish this morning saying they felt neglected. Neglect. They haven't a clue!

My sons certainly think they are the only students whose parents don't cook them meals just about ever nor buy the food! However we all get on fine. I had had too long since my 1983 marriage of the tyrany of the family meal and obligation to eat together even if you're nor hungry so took the last 10 years off it.

That does not mean I don't do a fair bit at home now we don't have a cleaner and even before.... just been dealing with limescale upstairs in 3 showers.

Couldn't help but laugh! When I saw this it totally reminded me of your post OP.