“I Can’t Take My Kids’ Attitude, the Disrespect, and Self-Centeredness”

Q:

I’m a former New Yorker now living out of town. I have no family here other than my husband and our large family, bli ayin hara, including many girls. When my kids were little, people used to tell me how lucky I was that I had so many girls because they’d be such a big help when they got older. Unfortunately, it hasn’t turned out that way.

I do everything myself — the laundry, shopping, cooking, cleaning, child care, and so on. Of course, this is what a homemaker does, but I thought that children could and should help out a little.

Five of my girls are already teenagers. But if I ask anyone for help, there’s so much moaning and groaning, and so little help, that I tend to do it all myself rather than deal with the complaints.

For example, if I’m washing dishes and I ask my ten-year-old to please pour some juice for the toddler, she’ll start complaining, “Why? Just because I’m in the kitchen I have to take care of her? Maybe I should never come into the kitchen!”