I asked my son to work in the storage building today, while I was at work. I explained, in very clear terms, that we needed to move stuff from the garage to the storage building, so he needed to re-arrange what was already in the building to create room. I even gave him a good idea of what we'd be moving, so he knew how much space was needed.
When I arrived home, I asked him how much he'd gotten done. "Well, I didn't see that much that could be moved." Oh really?!? So I put on some old clothes and went out with him. As soon as we opened the door, I asked him what he saw, as far as space. "There's some room on that shelf, and there's an open spot over there, and ..." ... and he correctly identified five or six spaces into which things could be moved to create space.
Which tells me that he isn't blind. He just didn't want to do it. He could clearly see where things could be moved -- but he had no desire to move them by himself.
I (sort of) remember being that age. Did my Dad get this exasperated with me? I think I did what I was asked to do. And since I did (or I think that I did), I'm not quite sure how to motivate my son, who seems to have no inclination to do these things on his own. I've tried tying his allowance to her performance of chores and tasks around the house. He goes a couple of weeks without an allowance, complains about having no money, and things are still left undone.
Obviously, I'm not gifted at motivating a 15-year-old. If anyone knows where the magic elixir is, pass me a bottle, if you would.
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