What do you think of this family house rule?

[Porcell]

People in the house are not allowed to come downstairs in the morning without being fully dressed/clean and moderately groomed.

This does not apply to school kids during the week. But at the weekends/school holidays memebers of the household are not allowed to be in pyjamas. They can veg out on the sofa but they have to be groomed and in clean clothes. Trackies are allowed.

If that's all you can think of doing indoors, you're very lacking in imagination!

And obviously would be stuck in the house if wearing pyjamas. I would hardly go out in them. And yeah I know people do - but that's a definite no no for me

OK then give me more ideas smart arse

Gardening
Painting
DIY
Baking
Cooking
Playing with your children
Learning a musical instrument
Doing one (of many) indoor hobbies
Learning a language
Studying
Exercise
Plus a million and one other "indoor" activities.

No wonder you feel stuck if all you can think of is housework and reading 🙄

1, what garden? Most gardens are OUTSIDE anyway as far as I'm aware

2 DIY is a job.

3 painting what? The walls? House is painted thanks . Don't need to do on a daily/ weekly basis

My youngest child is 21 at uni. The other 2 are in their 30s. Bit old for playing

Learning musical instruments is quite difficult when you are deaf. Same with languages

Exercise is done outside. A walk in the countryside or pretty local town is more interesting than pacing round front room lol

Cooking. We'll do that a few times a week to make meals obviously

Ah, you're just here to be negative and whinge. Fair does.

Why aren't you outside enjoying yourself anyway? Surely sitting on MN is boring and no better than being stuck inside?

You could say just about the same about any house or family rule, surely?

Making kids load the dishwasher
Keep the house tidy
Brushing teeth
Getting to school on time
Having a shower daily/every two days/whatever
Limits on screen time
Eating vegetables
No snacks straight before dinner
No smoking in the house
Putting dirty clothes in the washbin instead of on the floor

I could go on!

1. Gardening is still done at home

1. Some people enjoy DIY. My DH is always pottering about "fixing" things. By choice.

1. You lack imagination if you can't imagine painting anything other than the walls. How do you think paintings happen?

1. I'm in my 30s, DH in his 40s. Often we pop to a parents house to spend time with them. Sometimes we play games as a family.

1. You could learn to read and write a language.

1. There's other exercises available than walking.

1. I enjoy cooking. Sometimes I will batch cook. Sometimes I'll experiment with something new I wouldn't have time for on a workday evening. Sometimes I'll bake.

Spending time at home is only boring if you let it be.

I don't think any of those rules can be compared to telling people what they're allowed to wear in their own homes, no.

I doubt it

I wouldn't waste your time - she'll just come back with a load of reasons why she can't do any of those things

Only if you deny them a basic thing like food if they don't comply. As in the OP.

Exactly. OP won't let her children eat breakfast unless they dress in the way she dictates. Bonkers.

I love people who can't see the positives in anything simple. Blows my mind.

Shower every day is usually unnecessary

and they have slept in the PJS not run a marathon through a desert

are the teens objecting ?

I'm just glad I don't live with them - imagine going through life being that negative about your own home? lol.

I have a friend who cannot see the positives in anything, which means every minor thing that happens differently to how she expected it / wrong is the absolute end of the world. She hates her house, her kids "need more than a walk in the park" literally every day. She can't imagine the idea that anyone could be happy without lots of activities or entertainment going on.

I always think it must be exhausting to live your life like that.

Honestly, it just seems so draining (and expensive!).

I can easily spend all weekend at home without spending a penny and having a great time - I can't imagine having to go out and do things all the time to be entertained or amused.

Same. I do enjoy a day out but in all honesty I much prefer something like a National Trust place with a picnic (or if we're feeling really flush, a toasty in their cafe 🤣) over the stuff that costs loads and is probably packed full of people who are stressing about "having fun".

Veering off topic here, but speaking as someone who's very much hardwired to be an owl (I have a hereditary sleep disorder), I just wanted to say it's refreshing to hear a lark discuss their lark-ness in a balanced way like this. I have seen so much stigmatising of owls both on MN and off, and been called lazy more times in my life than I can shake a stick at. I'm very much not lazy, my body clock just forces me to do different things at different times, and it's nice when people get this concept.

Going back to the thread topic, though, my sleep patterns do mean I'm often in PJs at times many MNers would be positively scandalised by. 😂

Lol I can do things like travel the world, work lots to pay for it, meet up with friends, go out with my DDs, take DS backpacking etc.

None of them involve being stuck indoors lol. Like now I'm currently on my phone posting in between jobs- out in the car

I can do all those things and enjoy spending time in the house that I pay good money for

I'm very much an "outside" person. Outdoors is my favourite thing. But it's nature rather than being out doing activities. However I do not view a day at home as being "stuck indoors". A day in the office working, yes, stuck indoors. A day pleasing myself in my own home, definitely not stuck.

My sister is an owl (somehow, in a family of larks). Her day is at complete odds with mine. She's been known to say "we were in bed early" when coming back to a hotel after a concert at midnight. For me, that would be way past my normal bedtime.

We're all different. Doesn't make anyone bad or lazy. Just different.

Exactly...what a lot of oneupmanship gets bandied about on here sometimes.🙄