Have you ever noticed how many times during the day you ask your child to complete a task? It goes like this, Krystal, can you please bring your laundry downstairs? They say yes and still sit there. Krystal I need you to do it now. OK mom, as she walks upstairs. You assume the task is being done but NO... She comes back downstairs with no laundry in tow but hey she is dressed now. This is so annoying. Procrastination is a vial disease that is running wild in my house. I am not sure if it is an age thing but man my daughter has mastered it to the tee. It can be so frustrating. I have tried using an allowance system, letting her schedule it when she is ready and even having her choose certain chores that she feels she can complete. My patience on this issue is really running thin.

The other night I received a call from a Dad whose daughter was telling him how my daughter got twenty dollars for an allowance. This is kind of funny as while her allowance is twenty dollars she has yet to get twenty dollars because she loses most of it through the month for not being an active participant in the household. The dad was asking how I work my system and I explained it to him. It was very enlightening to hear that he and his wife also struggle with these issues, so my thoughts of, "What am I doing wrong here and my kid is so lazy", were lifted and replaced by this is a normal part of life. It must be a tween thing. Once they hit a certain age and maturity they feel that they should be able to make decisions on their own. This includes but is not limited to showering. They want to form independence and well, since they can't drive and stuff, showering is the next best thing. How do I encourage her to maintain her hygiene with out coming across as ""the Boss"? I need to find a way to convince her that she wants to shower instead of having this power struggle. Any thoughts on this??? I am so lost. I really wish I had a manual cause this whole thing just might be easier, or not.