Clean Up Time Without Bossing the Kids Around

In the sitcom Seinfeld , the character Elaine Benes is annoyed that a friend doesn't think she's up to being a babysitter: "I couldn't raise a kid? C'mon, I love bossing people around." She, of course, finds out that bossing kids around is a sucker's game. No body likes to be bossed around. The mentally healthy response is to resist. The adult ratchets it up. The resistance grows stronger or goes…