Just sent this to my 16 & 17 year old

[Nur122]

Guess this isn’t unreasonable
Firstly I love you both lots.
I want to be able to explain that I am disappointed in you both for your lack of respect for how you don’t do the few things in the house like you are meant to like keep your rooms tidy, they are getting worse and more disgusting with old food bowls etc being left in them rather than better. Also you keep leaving stuff lying about the house. I have always been happy doing things for you because I love you and wanted you to have a happy, nice childhood but you are both a lot older now and basically no different from adults so should be able to be a bit more responsible for yourselves without nagging. I’m not expecting you to do the vacuuming, fridge cleaning, bathrooms etc but if you notice a dog poo in the way, or some fly poos somewhere yucky etc there is no reason why you shouldn’t clean them up for example. If you need more storage in your rooms I can help sort it out.
Please do these things out of need and respect.
lots of love mum

Fly poo is the black dots you get on windowsills, and to the people who don't know what it looks like, all I can say is you probably never get a fly in your houses.

Every window sill in my house has fly and spider poo. And you should see the mess left by the annual ladybird invasion! (old house, none of the windows fit properly so the ladybirds just come inside in their hundreds).

I have flies in my home. They just fly in through the open doors and windows. Then they might fly out or I swat them. We're talking a couple buzzing about now and again, not some Stephen Kingesque infestation.
They leave little black dots of poo mostly around window (where they fly around trying to get out - ALWAYS on the window that doesn't open..fuckers).

Flies in homes is definitely real. Where do you live?

I think OP has clarified that the dog poo is not in the house.

It's a very poo oriented communication.

Presumably they contribute to it getting dirty?

😂😂😂

Maybe they never open their windows for fresh air.

yea youve started a bit late wit all this-we werent made to do anyting eiter-im now terrible at housework my sisters better but we were very lazy as kids

Why only windowsills and not on all walls and floors and surfaces if the flies are pooing everywhere?

My thoughts also. And if there is dog poo it needs to be picked up immediately not left for someone else. If it's the family pet it's everyones job. There are NO pots, cutlery in my daughter's room. If there were that's what she would be eating from until they were put in the dishwasher.

You definitely can, you should see my windows ! Or do flies regurgitate stuff, either way they leave spots of something, little buggers . I barely clean them up myself, can’t imagine asking teenagers to, i can imagine the eye rolling !

That what I was thinking - it's all a bit lame lettuce.

If my 15 yo doesn't pull his weight then we go back a few steps in Mum's Life Skills course. Repeat until he gets it. Leaves home able to run a household.

Because that is where they get stuck trying to get out of the window.

Your message sounds too soft, too desperate and, at their ages, probably too late. You need to sit them down and set clear boundaries and expectations with consequences. I think the fly poo reference is a bit random. I mean, I know flies poo but I wouldn't expect the average teenager to notice let alone clear it up. Surely there are better things to concentrate on?

Lol try looking for specs on your window frames

Let us know how it goes.

How did you learnt to clean a bathroom or wash up or use the washing machine?

Have they never scrubbed the toilet, mopped, cleaned the oven or fridge, done their own laundry?

They need to learn life skills now!

well the fact that you think its appropriate to send a text too your 16 & 17 year old who i assume you live in the same house with says it all?

do you think they are going to pay any attention too that? you clearly don't know teenagers.. they will open it, read the first few lines, think wow thats a lot of words and mums off on one again... delete!

You say you have a 16 year old and 17 year old yet, based on you think the best way to communicate with them is, you also appear to have never met a 16 or 17 year old.

I cba to message mine. I prefer a full on bollocking, with a bit of 'dh you know how hard your dad and I work?' Thrown in. It usually sends them scurrying about. Especially if dh has also been bollocked.

I've been teaching 20 years, so I'm a master of a theatrical, staccato bollocking which has no emotional impact on me whatsoever.

I have never seen fly poo! Ever. Anywhere.

Misses point of thread......

You just do! I wasn't allowed to cook when I was growing up, or use the washing machine. So until I went to university I'd never done either (except cooking on a campfire at guides!)

Thus is all too soft. Have they done chores since they were kids? Because if they haven’t they don’t know how to.
My kids do chores daily- make their beds, help with laundry, tidy up, help load and unload the dishwasher. I have no wish to bring up useless boys who think chores just happen. This doesn’t mean they don’t have a happy childhood. It takes up maybe 10-15 mins of their entire day. And sometimes not every day. I think you need to change your mindset that you need to nicely ask them to do chores. They live in the house and they contribute- and you don’t apologise for it!

This.

Your message is written like it’s being directed to a 12 year old.