What to do?

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My husband works away from the home on a towboat, and I am at home for 3 weeks at a time with the children alone. I had them set on a scheduale, which everyone followed, and it worked! Now that he's home, he lets the kids do whatever they want, when they want. Ive tried explaining to him that the scheduale is to help everyone, but he just keeps on doing whatever. How can I get him on board, and to STOP purposly throwing my kids off the scheduale that I worked SO hard to get them on?

Review that schedule with dad and the kids. Make sure everyone understands. And if necessary, you can post the schedule somewhere in your home for evryone to look at.

Good luck!

Threaten him with a pointy stick? I mean, nobody likes that. Or alternativley, you could just do your best to explain the benefits of the schedule and why you think sticking to it will be useful. But it may be that he just doesn't like structure enough to accept something like this, in which case there's little you can do. Maybe you could come to a compromise or something? Perhaps set aside some 'free' time where the schedule does not apply, then let the schedule dictate the remainder of the time. But if it was me, I'd just go with the pointy stick.

seems like hubby sees coming home as a vacation from his own schedule.
Maybe scheduling extra things to do with dad when he is home, special things rather than just blowing the schedule altogether.

But I know what you mean, he is forcing you to become the stick in the mud (pointy or not) strict parent while he is the happy go lucky dad dude that calls a recess to play while he is home before he goes back to work, making you clean up all the wreckage, each time.

perhaps you could both work to modify his behaviour to get the recreation he desires with out blowing out the family dynamic?


best wishes,
Merle

Put him back on the towboat?