What's $200 Worth To You Anyway?

I have two children, Alex, the eldest and Ryan.   Ryan lives with me in a large, unnecessary house.  Ryan generally uses three rooms regularly.  His bedroom, bathroom and the kitchen.  


You can track Ryan's movements within the house at any given time.  If I were to clean the house from top to bottom and Ryan were on vacation, the house would remain completely spotless (except for dog hair on the floor and nose prints on windows).  


Ryan, in a word, is a slob.  I would like to shake my head in wonder and say "I don't know where he developed this trait from" but I would be lying.  I will say that he didn't get it from me.  Sure, I sometimes laze out upon arriving home from work and leave my shoes at the front door, side by side, in a neat row.  Or, I place a reusable bag on the kitchen chair once I've emptied it.  I admit that.  I will also admit that in the mornings, after rushing in a confused daze, corralling fighting Goldens, breaking up fights and pulling gobs of grass from drooling mouths, I often don't have time to place my hairspray in it's correct spot in the vanity cabinet.  Or properly place all my hair styling products nicely in the basket on the counter.  But Ryan.....he brings slobbishness into a whole new level.


There was a time that I would clean his room for him because I just couldn't stand it anymore.  The deal was that any money I found would be mine.   He is lazy with his money too.  He would come home and drop all his change....where ever.  There would be a carpet of loonies and twoonies all over the floor.


This was a sweet deal.  I could make $75 for a two hour job.   I don't make that at my REAL job.  Taking taxes into account, I am lucky if I take home $18 an hour!  


But the child got wise to this and decided he was better off cleaning his room himself.  He realized it was akin to remembering he had a savings account somewhere.  I informed him what would be even better was not letting his room get to that disgusting state in the first place.  Oddly, he disagreed.


So last week, I am about to go out for the evening and he tells me he's misplaced $200 American....in his room.  


"If you'd cleaned it a month ago, like I'd asked, you probably would have found it.  When did you have $200 American in your room?"  


"I brought it back from my New York City trip," he answers.  That was in May.  I don't know too many people that would "forget" about $200 for five months but that's just me.


So I suggested he get his lazy ass up there and start cleaning.  But I would be happy to clean it for him the next day given the re-instatement of our previous deal.  


He didn't bite.   He suggested a nice Mum would clean it for nothing.  I informed him that if I was going to take five years off my life by breathing in unknown toxic substances, it had to be worth some cash.  About $200, I am guessing....


His room still hasn't been cleaned by the way.....that money is still up there.....