I have very little power in my house. I mean seriously, how did I reach 46 years of age and have no power to get stuff done? I cannot get anyone to do anything. I have tried all manner of ways to get my requests fulfilled and to date, it has been an utter failure. The other day is a perfect example of when I lost my head, I mean really, really lost it. After about the fifth time of asking Miss 12 to pick up the socks at the front door that had already been there for a week, I finally lost the plot. I must add that this was on top of the Knuckle Scraper, otherwise known as our teenage son, completely ignoring any requests I made of him too. I mean how hard it is to empty the dishwasher?

I know you know this feeling. It happens to us all when they are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. I hate to break it to you, it doesn’t seem to stop. This complete disregard for any request, no matter how crucial, falls on their underdeveloped ears.

Having read every book about getting kids to listen with little success, I finally stumbled upon a miracle. In a fit of rage and fury I reached out tentatively towards that blessed little round button and pressed it. Nothing. What was I waiting for? A revolution? And then it came. Loud and clear. You see, dear friends, that dear, blessed little round button was the “power” button on the modem and it wasn’t until that day that I realized its real power.

Suddenly the world was ending. Clearly I did not know what it was like to be 15. Friends needed to be spoken to, apparently about important stuff that just could not wait until tomorrow. Fits, rage and tantrums ensued…and I held out. I had the power. Miss 12 was gobsmacked. Clearly interrupting the latest cheer clip on YouTube was a heinous crime. And guess what? I do not care! At the end of my finger was all the power I needed.

Suddenly things got done at a rapid pace and with amazing efficiency. And I took advantage. Absolute advantage. In a mere half hour, rooms were cleaned and vacuumed and washing put away. There was not a random sock to be seen. Dirty plates that had been put under the sofa appeared from nowhere and were loaded in the dishwasher. Amazing! I didn’t even know they were there!

No longer will I suffer in silence or rant and rave about poor bugger me. The balance has been restored in my family and you know what? I now see the internet as my BFF and not the enemy. Hell, I do not know a parenting self-help book out there that gets so much done in such a short space of time as the wretched “power” button on the internet modem.