Jenny asks…
saving energy and the kids?
okay i will admit that i am not the most eco friendly conscious person in the world and that truthfully i am more concerned with things like my utility bill……so, how can i get my kids to be more aware of how much they waste?…..i got up at 3:30 this morning and went into the bathroom and i heard the tub drip, drip, dripping ~ it was the hot water that i turned off (and i know that the one who gave the dog a bath was the one who was last in there)….they do things like leave every light in the house on even when they aren’t in the room….i have finally found a way to break them of leaving their bedroom lights on when they are not in there by taking the light bulbs out of the sockets so that when they go back in they have to ask why there are no bulbs (which of course i then explain)…..i cant get them to stop using the heated dry option on the dishwasher so i have now taken away that luxury and started making them wash and dry by hand…..i do okay but am not made of money and these ARE some things that are energy friendly albeit my motives are for my own good…..how can i get them to pay better attention to these things?
they are almost 17 years old
adminsta answers:
This is a common problem with any age child and any “chore”. Most parenting books will tell you rewarding good behavior is more effective than punishing bad. One suggestion is to get the usage for the last year and let them know you will match or double any savings you see next month compared to the same month last year. Or you can do what I do which is black mail, when they ask for an item that is wanted not needed, tell them you can’t afford it because of the money wasted on the energy bill and if they can help you save on the next energy bill they can get it.
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