I never told you guys the kids' reaction when they saw their new rooms! Before I do that, I have to tell you how we (mostly I) elicited promises for specific behavior in exchange for the keys. That sounds like blackmail you say? It is.
Anyway, Jeff really wanted to be present when the kids first saw their rooms. After all the hard work he put into creating the spaces, I felt that was appropriate. The only problem was that I was picking them up at lunch time and Jeff wouldn't be home until after soccer. That was a 3and a half hour period that I had to keep them out of their rooms. Certainly, you would agree that it would not be an easy task.
I thought about it and came up with a plan. I would tell them that Daddy and I had spent an enormous amount of time in their rooms. (That is true!) So much time in fact, that we were never able to get the rest of our house cleaned. (Also true!) Because of that ordeal, we decided to lock the doors until we could all sit down and talk about the expectations of keeping the rooms clean.
They came home and ran to the playroom. Before I could get into the house, I could hear Xander yelling, "Mom, the playroom door is locked!" Eva chimed in, but didn't seem nearly as concerned as Xander. Once actually in the house, I asked them to sit down and told the story. "Daddy and I spent lots of time.... Doors will remain locked until..... Future expectations." Xander was bummed, but brightened right away when I said they could each pick out 3 toys from the pile in the basement.
They played merrily for a little while. Then Xander came back upstairs claiming he had to go to the bathroom. I don't think he ever made it to the bathroom, but I did hear the doors of the old playroom and bedroom being tested. He seemed to know something was up. "Why can't I just go in and see how clean the rooms are? I just want to know how they look now!"
It was a long 3 hours before we headed out to soccer. Part of that time, I typed up two lists of expectations for the kids. I thought I would share them with Jeff to get his opinion. He was going to meet us at soccer. But that is not what ended up happening. He thought he was suppose to go home to get more work done on the rooms. I tried calling him a few times, but he never answered. So I went on with the reading and signing of the contracts.
Each child read their own contract and then explained to me what they meant. After signing and dating them, I packed them away and told them they could give them to daddy. If he thought it was good enough, they could have their keys. Jeff, of course, thought the signed contracts were good enough and that we could skip the conversation. Xander and Eva ran to the old playroom and barged in. Xander was happy and Eva couldn't wait. She went in her room before either Jeff or I could stop her. She returned with a huge smile on her face.
I think it is safe to say they are both very happy. Each morning, our day starts with the sound of the gong and the calling together of karate class. This also marks odd times through out the day. Xander has said, "I love my new room!" Eva keeps hugging and kissing me and saying, "I love you mom! I have the prettiest room in the whole house!" Meanwhile, the contracts hang on the refrigerator, just as a reminder should the case arise. Surprisingly I've had no additional need for them.
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