Teenage DD wants to know why we need a cleaning lady

B'Syata D'Shmya

Tue, Jan 30 2024, 9:16 am

amother OP wrote:

This makes so much sense. The cleaning lady works flexible hours, so whenever she has two hours to come around she does. I feel that it's the best way to hold onto a cleaning lady around here when she can easily do a full day in one house. So DD doesn't have warning before she comes. She's complained that she can't find some things (they should have been in her room) because I tell the CL to just throw things out and not make piles all over the house. She's also complained that she hates coming out of the shower and being caught by surprise with the CL vacuuming the hallway. She shouldn't be coming out in a towel but whatever. She complains that she gets interrupted when the CL comes in to put her laundry away. I've tried telling the CL to leave it at her door but she steps over it and it stays there for days. It drove me crazy.

So the anxiety and lack of privacy might have some truth to it. In general she's not an anxious kid. I might have to ask the CL to give me a heads up when she's on the way so that DD knows to expect her. I dread telling her to skip DD's room because it will never, ever get cleaned otherwise.

So its not the CL per se but the uncertainty, the surprise, the missing stuff (which is on her, if the stuff is so important to her, she has to keep them in its place and not lying around.

You can negotiate this to a win-win situation.
Since your home is yours, and not run by committee, you can offer dd that if she keeps her stuff orderly, you will give her a heads up as to when CL is coming. It seems from the information you presented that CL is innocent of any reason to fire her.
It shouldnt be so difficult for CL to send you a whatsapp or phone call so you know.
If dd cant be bothered to put away the laundry that was done for her, she can do her own laundry.

Shes a teenager, she is testing boundaries and OMG really believes that you will drop you CL if she demands it...gotta love them...