to make DS clean the whole bathroom?

[HenryPet]

Not sure if the title should be that or a variety of alternatives...

DS is 14 and his job is to clean the family bathroom at the weekend. That's his only job that's his part that involves others mess, he obviously has to clean up after himself.

He was up at 9 today and has already taken 2.5 hours to only do half of it. He is usually sitting on his phone and this is a reoccurring thing every weekend. Sits on his phone while cleaning and it ends up taking him about 5 hours in total...

DH has started saying it's clearly too much for him and he deserves to go out with his friends at the weekend, etc. he's more than welcome to go out with friends, but he is the one choosing to take 5 hours on 1 bathroom.

Is cleaning the bathroom really such an unfair chore for a 14 year old?

You are right. Do not teach your son that he can get out of housework by pretending to be useless! We have far too many men like that already.

What does cleaning a whole bathroom entail?

Washing down the sinks, washing the bathtub and shower, mopping the floor, dusting and sweeping up, emptying bins, washing under the toilet seat and the toilet putting toilet cleaner down the toilet.

why is this such a terrible task for a fourteen year old? Presumably if there’s shit on the toilet he has also contributed to it?

Suddenly unsurprised by the number of incompetent 18, 21, 23 year olds I employ and have to let go because they're absolutely clueless.

Your main reason for having a cleaner is because you can’t be bothered to clean your own shit. Fucking hell, poor cleaner.

if i lived in a house where people left shit residue in the toilet i'd be hoiking them in there to clean it up. Disgusting.

This. I'm getting exactly this vibe from all the posters saying he shouldn't be having to do it. Way to teach him "that's Mum's job" ie "that's the woman's job". Do these posters want more useless, wilfully incompetent men to be inflicted on other women? The sort perfectly capable of getting on with boring work when it's at the office, but who never lift a finger at home?

@roarrfeckingroar

but you’ll happily have your cleaner clean your shit residue?

You're welcome!

My kids have been cleaning their bathroom (family bathroom) since the age of 8.

I was thinking that exact same thing

This he'd finish it much quicker then. My son does recycling and I make him leave his phone in the sitting room on charge whilst he does it.

I think you should turn of the wifi after three hours. you are doing a fantastic job teaching him about pulling his weight around the house. Please don’t let yourself DH let him off doing this. He is already trying to use weaponised incompetence, if he starts getting away with this at 14 you can imagine where it will lead.

No it’s not. And I think what you are saying is that’s not a boys job. He takes all day because he doesn’t want to do it. When he gets older he will learn to clean quickly. Then enjoy his free time. If all the boys did stuff like this at 14 there would be a lot less unhappy woman on here left to do anything with useless partners. The op is setting her son up for a happy life.

Joining the ranks of those boggled by the idea that it's not appropriate for a 14 yr to clean a family bathroom. My son was doing that, along with cooking, washing dishes, yardwork, vacuuming AND helping paint, rip out carpet, refinish floors etc. , since he was younger than that. There's just the two of us; stuff needs doing, so the both of us just do it. He's another that had to teach a bunch of dorm mates how to do virtually anything associated with perfectly normal life skills.

Does he know how to clean a bathroom? Should be able to get round it in an hour max really but he might just not know how to make it look good?
phone needs taking away when he’s doing it and give him pocket money for it and give him a lift somewhere after so there’s a reward. Work = reward x

I don't think it's a normal chore for a 14yo to clean the entire bathroom every week. I have two teens and none of their friends do that. It's normal to expect teens to do stuff and contribute to the household not becoming a shithole, but the whole family bathroom every weekend on a schedule, alone, is really rather depressing. I would take the approach of doing it with him - ie you clean the sink whilst I clean the bath or whatever. So that he isn't just working alone like a cleaner, who would actually get paid 15 per hour or whatever.

Does he know how to clean a bathroom?

I mean, it's hardly rocket science is it?

To use the stereotype teacher's phrase, it's his own time he's wasting. If he wanted to go out, no doubt he would manage to do the job much more quickly.