What is it with teenage boys?
By katsmeow1213
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
United States
July 22, 2010 10:16am CST
Decided to do some major cleaning today.. which I'm not even half way done with yet. I just got finished cleaning out the cabinet where I keep my trash can and it almost made me puke.. but the sad thing is I cleaned it completely just about a month ago!!
See, my 13 year old is repsonsible for the trash. It is his job to make sure the trash is changed when it's supposed to be, put to the curb on the correct day.. and that the entire cabinet stays clean because we all know that trash doesn't always go in the can like it's supposed to.
Well while cleaning I kept having to toss stuff out, and everytime I opened the cabinet a stink came out that took my breath away it was so gross. So I pull the can out and there's about a foot of crap underneath the can that's been sitting there who knows how long.. and it's not just bits of trash but bits of food and other junk that's been mixing together and getting grosser and it is a bit damp from the food.. just gross!!
So then I pull the bag out and there's a pile of the same crap on the bottom of the can.. which I assume fell down there because the bag wasn't properly secured.
It was terrible trying to clean this out, and I did almost vomit a few times... especially when I was holding the can upside down over the bag to clean out the crud inside it.. and a big chunk of that crud fell on my foot... ew ew ew!!
This is so typical of my son.. being lazy about his chores and only doing what he feels like doing that day.. and sadly I do not pull out the can and the bag on a regular basis to ensure he's doing it right. I'm just so mad right now.. and of course he's at his grandfather's today so I can't even yell at him for it. But he certainly won't be playing his video games at all this weekend!!
Do you have a similar problem with kids not properly doing their chores?
1 person likes this
13 responses
@jillhill (37354)
• United States
22 Jul 10
When my kids were that age I think so....and now my daughters have teenagers and I hear the same complaints...but especially about my grandson. When I was staying there he was gone part of the time. My granddaughter and him share a bathroom which was neat the whole time he was gone....when he came back he just threw everything on the counter and didn't put one thing away. He just got his own apartment...we'll have to see how that one goes!
2 people like this
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
22 Jul 10
Sad thing is, my son spent the whole day at his Grandfather's house.. and guess what he did there? Clean!!
2 people like this
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
23 Jul 10
yeah they pretty much do as much as they have to and no more unless I'm standing right over them "encouraging" them to do things the right way. The argument that it's just going to make more work later if they don't do it right the first time, doesn't really seem to fly.
1 person likes this
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
23 Jul 10
No it sure doesn't.. I'll never understand the way a child's mind works.
1 person likes this
@mtdewgurl74 (18151)
• United States
22 Jul 10
It's just me and my hubs here that deal with the trash..we take turns. But it never fails he leaves stuff in the trash can and ucky stuff too at the bottom..lucky for us the trash can is outside but that doesn't mean it is any less nasty when it is my turn to do the trash..and in the summer months..You don't wanna know what I find crawling around in the bottom...and the smell is atrocious..but it seems no matter how much I talk blue in the face about it..nothing changes..
@mtdewgurl74 (18151)
• United States
22 Jul 10
Yeah, mine helps in the house once in awhile..when I am not feeling well or he is bored out of his head and nothing to watch on television. But the cleaning of the trash can always gets left up to me.. it is a big one..32 gallon and we only get one bag of trash a week unless we are spring cleaning then it is like 4-5..lol..
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
22 Jul 10
Same way with my son.. but I'm the only one who ever finds out.. the thought of my hubby doing a serious cleaning, ha ha ha that's hillarious!!
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
22 Jul 10
My husband used to be really sweet and would do some serious cleaning every Sunday when I went grocery shopping.. then I started shopping on Fridays instead and the cleaning stopped. I keep reminding him about it.. and awhile ago I was going to the gym on Sundays hoping I'd come home to a clean house.. instead I came home to everyone glued to a video game!
1 person likes this
@3SnuggleBunnies (16374)
• United States
22 Jul 10
No teenage boy here yet give my DS 10 yrs *LOL* I guess next time you'll have to wear a scarf over your face & I hope you had rubber gloves! Shoot I would of made his tush clean that nasty mess out if possible. Though I'm starting on doing the quick clean before bed and that's working.... start the timer for "15min" (really 30 but they can't tell time very good anyway so... 
) & it's amazing what my oldest can get done. Now to get the middle to start helping...
) & it's amazing what my oldest can get done. Now to get the middle to start helping... 1 person likes this
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
22 Jul 10
I would have made him do it if he were home.. and I didn't want to wait till later for it. Need to get the cleaning done while I still have the desire to do it.
1 person likes this
@Opal26 (17679)
• United States
23 Jul 10
Hey kats! You poor mommy! I would have said to leave it for him,
but I guess that wouldn't have worked once you got started! I
think when it comes to most males you really have to keep after
them because they will take the "short cut" whenever it comes
to cleaning or chores! I think that the only guy I have ever
met that isn't that way is my bf the obsessive compulsive clean
freak who is after me to clean better! He would think I was
cleaning more like your son if you asked him about my cleaning
skills! I used to be better at cleaning, but since I've gotten
older I just don't want to clean unless I get in the mood and
then I do a really thorough job. It's not that I leave things
dirty I just can't do things like I used to and I have to keep
stopping and resting! But, there's no excuse for a teenage boy!
You just have to watch him and be on his butt until he understands
the right way to do the job! A few little punishments and I
think he'll get the hint!
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
23 Jul 10
Oh it's been like this since the beginning of time with this boy.. I just felt like venting about it since I'm having a hard time reaching hubby at work. Punishments and rewards don't really help him to learn to do it right. Occasionally when there's something he really wants then he'll do it right.. but for the most part he's lazy about it.
1 person likes this
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
24 Jul 10
Gee thanks.. here I am hoping some day it will end and he'll shape up, and you just destroy all my hope! LOL
1 person likes this
@Opal26 (17679)
• United States
23 Jul 10
Oh it's not just your son! My gf has teenage girls and they are
worse than any teenage boys! They are complete slobs, I mean
really disgusting! They won't help her with even the laundry
and now one is almost 18 and the other amost 19! If I told
you some of the things they do you would get sick!
1 person likes this
@Linda4ualways (2282)
• United States
17 Aug 10
Hello katsmeow! oh boy do I. I have 3 boys and I mean, trying to get them to clean their room or take out garbage is very hard. I will just take the garbage out myself because I HATE when my smells of stink garbage. As a matter of fact, I took it out this morning why? because I tied it up and left it in the hallway and yes, all of them walked passed it and didn't think to take it out. I don't always have a problem with the garbage but ask them to wash their dish is like trying to ask them pull out a tooth
.
.
@gemini_rose (16264)
•
24 Jul 10
I had the same problem with my eldest who is 18 now and no longer at home. He was terrible for doing jobs and he never did them properly. My other two boys are just as bad at 9 and 8 and I have to bully them into doing anything and when they do it is done half heartedly or badly. I mean really I think it would be easier for me to do it myself but then that is what they want and why they do things badly!
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
24 Jul 10
If I do have to do it myself they get an earful about it! Like after all this happened I yelled at him and took his video games away for the weekend, then his father yelled at him, and I even told a friend of mine (who has once or twice taken my son overnight to play video games) and even the friend sort of yelled at him. He doesn't get away with not doing it right.. so I don't know why he wastes the time.. just do it right the first time and move on! Why is that so hard?
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
26 Jul 10
hi katsmeow seems like this is a male problem from the dawn of time as my son who is a cleanliness nut now once was just like your son when he waS fourteen so they do grow up a nd suddenly being clean when you are on your on and no mom to do it for you takes over and they learn really quickly that day old garbage will stink and four day old garbage will literally walk out on its own.By twenty the cleaning bug starts to sink in with boys.
@redkathy (3374)
• United States
22 Jul 10
I have two boys that are grown. The youngest was the worst ever as he would rush through those chores or skip half. He is 22 now, just moved to London last Saturday to continue his education so I've been cleaning. OMG the trash I asked him to take out last week is still in the garage! I can't very well punish him. If he was here I'd surely make him feel guilty because the bigger thought is "Why didn't they do what mom asked?"
I'm not so sure it's laziness. In reality, I think what isn't important to them they discard. Since crud doesn't bother most boys, it's just not important.
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
22 Jul 10
You would think not getting punished would be a good enough reason to do what they're asked.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
24 Jul 10
My daughter still has several years to go before she is a teenager, but I know exactly what you are talking about when it comes to being lazy with chores. I've asked her several times to do some of the most simple things around the house and she is always telling me that she doesn't know how to do these things. This ranges from something as simple as keeping her dirty clothes in a tote so that they are easy to bring downstairs for me to do the laundry to scraping her plate after dinner and putting the plate in the dishwasher. I swear she is helpless. We've tried all kinds of punishment for her from taking away the television in her room (we bent the prongs on the plug so she can't plug it in) to not allowing her to have a birthday party last year because her room was such a disaster, but nothing that we've done has made any kind of a difference.
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
24 Jul 10
It's been that way with my son all along, and the twins are like that too at times. I even went so far as to take him out of sports because he wasn't doing any chores. I told him before he got into the sport that he'd have to do his chores and keep good grades and not get any bad reports from his teachers. But shortly after the season starts he'll stop doing chores and stop caring about school... and I'd warn and warn and warn until finally I had no choice but to pull him out of the sport. Still didn't help.
@sleepylittlerose (1648)
• United States
22 Jul 10
Welcome to the world of teenage boys. How well I know this story as I have two. Good news is it will get better with time. Mine are now 17 & 19 and they are pretty good helping around the house.
You should give him some other nasty chore to do this weekend since he did not do the trash correctly. I suggest scrubbing the bathroom, especially the toilet. Supervise what he is doing to make sure it meets your expectations. If not have him do it over until he gets it right. He will learn that taking the trash out isn't such a hard job after all.
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
22 Jul 10
I've done similar punishments, and I really think it makes him worse. He still will not do it right, and he acts like he's incapable of doing it right no matter how long he sits there doing the same chore over and over. He can be very frustrating sometimes.
@babyEj (1522)
• Philippines
23 Jul 10
Oh my! I am worried about this too. I have a son who's just 2 year old. So I'll be expecting this sooner or later. This is what I observed to with my younger brother. Even before , my brother doesn't put things in order. As well as my husband. So I think it's not just teenage boys but also adults.
