I refuse to be a helicopter parent over my kids, we have been working hard to try give them responsibility over their toys and books, teach them to put their clothes away and keep their bedrooms vaguely tidy. I feel this is all age appropriate stuff for our 8 (almost 9) year old son and our 6 year old daughter. I feel all our expectations are fairly age appropriate.
The problem is that I cannot trust them ever to do the right thing when they're not being watched like a hawk. And I don't mean things like folding their clothes properly, I don't give a shit about that as long as their clothes are in the right drawers.
What I actually mean is, not pissing in empty Amazon boxes that are sat on high pile rugs in the play room whilst I'm making dinner.
Not stealing chocolate out of my bedside table drawer (which is my not so secret reading stash chocolate) and eating it after bedtime then shoving the wrappers under their bed.
Not tearing the covers off their books and hiding them down the side of their bed.
Wiping the snot from their drippy noses on the back of their hands and then down the walls despite me putting tissues in their room for this specific reason.
Pulling the entire block of blu-tack out of the packet and getting it covered in fluff, hair, crumbs and muck despite me buying it just days before.
Not getting water from the downstairs bathroom and bringing it into the living room and creating a pool on the windowsill because they're playing Playmobil pirates.
I don't feel like this house is mine anymore. And it doesn't feel like I'm sharing with kids, it's like I'm bunking in some wild feral kids digs against my will. I can never get it clean and tidy without it being completely destroyed by the end of the day.
I'm exhausted bromos, I thought they'd grow out of the destruction as their play style changed but nope. We can't have anything nice 😒
Happy to accept any advice but honestly right now I'm curled up in my armchair with headphones on, under a blanket dissociating and pretending I don't exist until dinnertime...