Great Expectations

I realized this morning, when I got up to find the back door standing open and the front door unlocked with one of the kids' keys in it, that it's possible some people in our home don't understand exactly what's expected of them. That theory bore out as I walked through the house, observing.

So here's my list of Expectations of Those Living in My House. If you live here, please refer to it often. If you don't, feel free to help me think of ways to enforce them/brand them on others' brains.

General

• Doors should be closed when entering or leaving the house.
• Doors should be kept locked during the night.
• Cupboard doors should be closed after use.
• Trash receptacles should be emptied when full.
• Lights and other electronics (stereo, TV, etc.) should be turned off when not in use or when leaving a room.
• Stairs and hallways are not storage areas.
• Garbage should be placed in a proper receptacle.

Living Room

• Personal belongings should not be left in the room overnight.
• Food should not be consumed here.
• Books and magazines should be put away after use.

Office

• Personal belongings should not be left in the room overnight.
• Papers, CDs, books, etc. should be stored, shelved, or filed.

Bedrooms

• Should not smell of dirty laundry or rotten food.
• Doorways should be free from obstacles.

Kitchen/Dining Room

• Table and countertops should be wiped clean after eating/preparing food.
• Dishes, pots and pans, and utensils used for food preparation should be rinsed and stacked neatly.
• Food spilled on the floor should be wiped up.
• Food spilled in the refrigerator should be wiped up.
• Food spilled/exploded in the microwave should be wiped up.
• Food should be eaten at the table.
• Uneaten food should be put away.
• Personal belongings should not be left on counters.

Bathroom

• Toilet seat and lid should be lowered after use.
• Toilet seat should be raised when boys are standing to do their business.
• Shower should be rinsed after use.
• Shower curtain should be closed after use.
• Personal care substances such as toothpaste, hair gel, etc. should be wiped up when spilled.
• Personal belongings should not be left on the floor or counters.

Every one of these items has been ignored or violated in the last twenty-four hours--sometimes by me. I'm admittedly bad about leaving my stuff laying around.

I realize that these things take time to learn. A small child begins to learn line upon line, as it were, and by the time they become an adult, they have hopefully absorbed enough that most of the expectations have become habit. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to have happened here. People living in my house appear to get up every morning with a clean slate for a brain, completely unaware of any information they received the day (or week, or month, or year) before. Sometimes that frustrates me.

I could spend my whole day every day reminding people to do little things that make our home more liveable, but then I feel like a nag. And that's not a liveable situation for me. On the other hand, how many pairs of grown men's dirty socks should I be required to fish out from underneath the coffee table every day? My answer is "None." Their answer is "Three. Or just leave them there." You see the disconnect.

Sadly, I am seen as a bit of a fanatic in my home, with an unnatural obssession regarding cleanliness. If you've ever been in my home, you're laughing your head off right now over that. I just want things to be picked up and neat. That's (almost) all I want . . .

Honestly, any advice would be most welcome. Grown people don't respond too well to the motivators of "You're going to lose TV privileges." Perhaps they will respond to the motivator of, "Your mom had to go into the psych ward because you were such a pig." We'll see.