back in the day (1981 or so), my mom tried to be rational with me and use positive incentives (i.e. cold hard cash), to get me to do some basic chores. ever the lawyer, i suppose i wanted it committed to a written contract, so she couldn't try to change terms on the fly or--the horror--renege. see below for that contract:
well, here we are 27 years later, and still i have a hard time with all of these save #3. (and without live-in help, the housekeeper's day off is now seven days off so, yeah, that one's way tougher now too). T is horribly sad seeing this list and realizing it's not just that i've picked up some new habits in regard to being sort of a lazy ne'er-do-well unfond of straightening up, being polite and lending a hand. i, frankly, take solace in the fact that i've *always* sucked and, thus, am not going downhill but am holding strong!
it really is amazing though that my character and who i am today, is kind of who i was when i was six. scary? un peu.
that's right-- you can say that a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, Raph Waldo Emerson-- i know how to stick to my guns. whatever the consequences.
I find it funny that while your "expected responsibilities" have diminished, your "weekly allowance" has increased many-fold. Does this suggest I need a formal contract to get you to put your clothes away at night?
Posted by: T | Tuesday, March 25, 2008 at 11:06 AM
I love that you still have that contract! Also, love seeing the photos (here and on Facebook). Cute kid.
Posted by: Frank | Tuesday, March 25, 2008 at 01:56 PM