There's my sexy gardener.
Yeah.
I like you in those little green gloves.
Oh, these old things?
Just something I threw on.
I'd already be done if you let me
use that weed killer in the garage.
I'm being punished just because Teddy used to...
and I repeat, used to... lick the shrubs.
Okay, well, everything's looking good inside.
The kids are cleaning their rooms, I got the laundry done.
Now, I just have to figure out what that smell upstairs is.
I smelled that, too.
I didn't say anything because I love you,
and I thought it was you.
Hey!
That came from Teddy's window.
It's like a Dumpster back here.
Well, now we know how he cleans his room.
And where the Funyuns went.
- I'm sorry I blamed you. - Mm-hmm.
Throwing trash out the window?
He gets that from your side of the family.
Don't overreact.
I am not overreacting.
I am reacting.
Okay, but-but you got to admit, for the most part,
our-our kids are pretty darn adequate.
I mean, they brush their teeth.
- Emme doesn't. - They-they do well in school.
Teddy doesn't.
They still hug us.
Katie doesn't.
Okay, well, Kate puts "XO" at the end of her texts.
That's a kiss and a hug.
Yeah. To a robot.
Okay, look. Look-look... Wait, wait, wait, wait.
My-my parenting book says
that the most effective form of discipline
if often just listening.
Mm-hmm. I hate that book.
Okay? I've hated it ever since it said
we should make our own baby food.
Please, please, just this once, can we do it my way?
Your way is to just yell.
Yeah. And thanks to my dad, I'm really good at it.
Look, I think that we should stick with my way,
the book's way.
Let's just hear
Teddy's side of the story.
You always want to hear the kids' side.
I could tell you right now: their side
is they're lazy boneheads.
I'm just saying that there might be a problem
behind the problem.
Okay, the problem is they're lazy.
The problem behind the problem is they're boneheads.
Teddy, why would you dump trash out the window?
Why do you put the caps from your beer bottles
behind the couch pillow?
I just...
I get sleepy.
You smell that?
Is that the smell?
I think that's just boy.
You know, you get an allowance to keep your room clean.
And that includes taking your trash outside.
My room is clean, and the trash is outside.
Can I overreact now?
Whoa, whoa. Before you pop a vein,
you might want to see what's in Emme's closet.
Hi, Emme, we just need to check your closet real quick.
You smell that?
Is that the smell?
It's at least part of the smell.
Whoa! It hits you right in the face.
I think we just found the house's butt.
Emme, what is in your shoe organizer?
Is that broccoli?
Yes, it is.
I put it in there so you think I ate it.
Honey, keeping your room clean and eating your broccoli
are the two things
you're supposed to do for your allowance.
I don't like broccoli.
You make me eat it, this is what happens.
This is very, very bad, Emme.
It's not as bad as what's in Kate's room.
Well, I say we board that closet up
like a portal to hell and never speak of this again.
How did we not know about this sooner?
Well, we don't go in there that much.
Look, the kids get an allowance to keep their rooms clean.
The book says it's supposed to foster responsibility.
The only thing it's fostering is botulism.
Stop listening to that book.
You agreed it had good ideas.
I only agreed because you asked me when we were in bed,
and I wanted to fool around.
Yeah, that's how I get you to agree to things.
That's your allowance.
- You're no fool. - Hmm.
Well, all right. Let's see what's behind door number three.
Hmm.
Looks okay to me.
Wait.
I smell more smell.
A lot more smell.
It's not me.
No, it's not me.
Oh!
The bed's wet.
Katie's a bed wetter?
That means therapy. That'll cost a fortune.
Well...
smell the bedspread and see.
Uh, you smell it.
Just, go-go and check and see what's under there.
Oh, it's old, moldy towels.
- Ugh. - Yep, that's the smell.
That's the rest of the smell.
Ooh, check this one out.
That's the queen of the hive.
What are you doing?
Right now? Wondering where it all went wrong.
Why are your old, wet shower towels
at the bottom of your bed?
Oh. Every night, I get in bed
with a towel on my hair. Eventually, it falls off,
and I just kick it to the bottom.
And you never change your sheets?
I thought you just changed them every seven years.
That's the mattress, Kate.
Look, we give you
an allowance to keep your room clean.
Well, now we know where all our towels went.
This morning, I had to dry off
by running around the house like a dog.
I mean, how can you not smell that?
I smell it.
I'm just used to it.
Got good to me.
Well, at least I won't have to pay for a wedding.
Look, I'm not the only one doing stuff.
Do you know what Teddy does with his trash?
Yes, we do.
- How about Emme's closet? - Seen it all.
Dad's beer caps?
You're not getting out of this, Katie.
Seriously?
The parenting book again?
Is the last chapter just a picture of the author
sitting on a pile of money, laughing at us?
She's a renowned childcare expert.
Hey... wait, wait, listen to this.
Uh, "About the Author.
"Nancy is... single,
and lives in Maine with her beloved parakeet."
What?
Wait, she doesn't even have kids?
That's why she doesn't know you can buy baby food at the store.
I liquefied a perfectly good salmon thanks to her.
I can't believe this.
I mean, uh, for 14 years, this has been, like,
my-my parenting bible.
I hope her bird flies into a ceiling fan.
You know what?
You're in charge now. Yeah.
Let's go Full Metal Jacket.
Yeah?
That's what I'm talking about.
It's time to drop an Adam bomb.
Get it? 'Cause my name's Adam?
Yeah, no. I got it.
Yeah. Oh, I've been wanting to use that for so long.
Come on.
All right. Listen up.
There's gonna be some changes around here.
Yeah. You're supposed to handle your rooms,
we handle everything else.
But you blew it, so now, you get this.
It's all you, A-Bomb.
All right.
From now on, if you don't do your chores,
you don't get your allowance.
Not one cent.
That was a bomb noise, kids.
Which means
you can't go the mall and buy yo-yos
and slingshots and blacklight posters.
I haven't been to a mall in a while.
We'd like a moment to discuss.
What? What are you talk... What do you mean?
There's no discussing.
You just got flattened by a bomb!
Okay. Here's what we do: nothing.
If we give in now, our free ride is over.
But won't they get mad?
Look, you.
I've been lowering their expectations for years.
I will not let you mess it up for me.
Capisce?
What does that mean?
"Understand"?
How can I understand if you won't tell me what it means?
Teddy, just do what she says.
So, we've discussed your offer.
Take it or leave it.
We've decided to leave it.
What? No, there's no leaving it. You have to take it.
Look, we know you love us too much to stop giving us money.
You're good people.
Nuh-uh.
We do... do good people watch Breaking Bad? Hmm?
Yeah. 'Cause we watched one.
It's a gamble we're willing to take.
So, we're going on strike.
Capisce?
Did he just capisce me?
Nothing.
You took away their allowance
and they still won't do their chores?
Yeah.
So guess who had to make their beds
and take out their trash?
Andi.
And that put her in a bad mood,
which put me in a bad mood.
I guess now's not the time to tell you
I lightly rear-ended you when I was parking this morning.
No, it's not.
Okay. We'll put a pin in it.
Kids are terrible at chores anyway.
Little hands can't fold towels the way I like.
It's fold, fold, flipsy, flopsy.
That's a man's job.
It's a symptom of a bigger problem.
We've lost our authority.
When we were kids, our parents had the power.
But now that we're parents, the kids have the power.
We've never had the power.
I think it all started with sugary cereal.
All we got for breakfast
was plain oatmeal.
You know? That put you in your place.
You were barely more important than a horse.
Yeah, yeah. You know what we never heard from Dad
when we were kids?
- "How do you feel?" - Yeah.
- I heard, "How does that feel?" - Yeah.
And, "You're gonna feel that for a while."
Yeah, yeah. I remember that.
I'm starting to think it didn't hurt him more than it hurt us.
I just, I-I don't know how to get through to these kids.
You should talk to Dad.
He's always had the power.
He's the reason I don't stick up for myself
and I'm grateful for that.
- Yes, Dad. - Yeah.
That man ruled with an iron fist
from the comfort of his Barcalounger.
All he had to say was,
"Don't make me get up," and we never did.
He'll get those kids in line.
You guys are really getting me fired up.
I'm sick of my kids running my house.
I'm not gonna put up with it anymore.
Tonight, I'm gonna ask them for more power.
Dad, uh, we need to talk to you
about a situation we're having.
Take a bath together.
That spiced it up for me and your mom.
That's gonna stick with me.
Uh, n-no, no, Dad.
That's not the problem,
but we should do that.
Hey, there's my Teddy Bear.
- Hey, Grandpa. - Huh?
You couldn't spare a few dollars
for a guy who's down on his luck, could you?
Teddy, you want your allowance,
take out the trash.
Nah, I'll let you do it.
You see that right there? That's the problem.
If you'd talked to me like that when you were a kid,
I would've taken the trash out with you in it.
Yeah, well, it's not just Teddy. It's all of them.
There are ways to make kids do what you want.
Yeah, but, Dad, your ways aren't legal anymore.
That was only one tool in the toolbox.
You two have a structural problem.
You're too soft on them.
Yeah. You-You're always asking them how they feel.
You have to make them fear the consequences
of not doing their chores.
You can't be afraid to ruin their lives a little.
Remember when you wouldn't make your bed?
What did I do?
You took my bed.
You didn't.
I damn well did.
But he makes his bed now, doesn't he, huh?
Yeah, huh? You're welcome.
He's right, he's right.
We need to up our game
and make their lives a little less comfortable.
This is how we get the power back.
I just, I don't want them to be unhappy.
Don't worry about that.
Unhappy children is how you know you're doing a good job.
Good morning.
Your mother and I have realized that we made a mistake
with this whole chore situation.
Told ya.
We've been too soft on you.
Uh-oh.
Yeah, we've been thinking about this, uh, strike of yours
and it's actually a great idea.
So until you agree to start pulling your weight around here,
we're going on strike.
That's right.
Instead of us doing all the work,
you're gonna do it,
and we're gonna do nothing.
You're gonna do the dishes, the laundry,
keep the kitchen clean and, and...
you're gonna do it all for free.
We trusted you.
And that allowance money that you're not getting,
we're gonna use it to buy ice cream
- and then eat it in front of you. - Mm-hmm.
And we're gonna get all those goofy flavors
you like and we hate just to make it harder for you to watch.
Oh, and I almost forgot.
Here's your breakfast.
Enjoy your oatmeal.
That's right. We'll be in the tub.
We've only been on strike three days
and it looks like... somebody took our house
and shook it like a snow globe.
Yeah, there's no place to sit.
Sitting's our favorite thing.
Yeah, but think about it.
If it's getting to us, it's got to be getting to them.
Ooh, ooh, here they come.
Okay, let's close this deal.
Hey, guys.
How was riding the nasty old school bus?
Yeah, we're on strike.
We don't pick you up. That's rough.
The bus is awesome. I sat next to an older kid
who taught me about the dark web.
You guys are really okay with this mess?
Yeah, I mean, this place looks
like the morning after Burning Man.
Doesn't bother us if it doesn't bother you.
Oh, it doesn't bother us.
No, no, no.
You wish it bothered us!
It bothers me so much, Andi!
I-I can't take it anymore.
What are you talking about?
It's gross in here!
Those lunch boxes have not been emptied since tuna fish day.
Tuna fish, Andi!
Sitting right under the heating vent.
If whatever that grows into learns how to open the lid,
it's gonna kill us in our sleep.
Wh-Whoa, whoa. Wait-wait a minute, wait a minute.
You got me into this. You can't give up.
Why not? I never get to give up.
It looks fun. I want to try it.
Oh, hey, hey.
How about let's both do it, huh?
You're always saying you want to do more stuff together.
Come on. Think of all the battles that we've quit on.
All right? The-the bedtime battle,
the-the junk food battle,
the flushing the toilet battle.
We were all losers that day.
And all because we never stick with it.
This is where we draw the line,
just like that line that Teddy drew on the wall
that we never punished him for.
I painted over it, but I can still see it
when the sun hits it right.
God, it makes me crazy!
Yes, yes. Use that anger.
Embrace the dark side.
Okay. Okay, we'll stick it out.
And when it works, I'm gonna write my own parenting book
and call it Take That, Bonehead!
By Adam "A-Bomb" Burns!
I need to sit down.
Adam, did you hear that?
Adam?
Adam!
It's not what you think.
I'm, uh, I'm having an affair.
You broke the strike.
You-you surrendered.
You're-you're like a, like a,
like a Frenchman.
I can't live like this anymore.
We got flies, Andi.
And I'm pretty sure something in the bottom of the sink
just grabbed my hand.
I am so disappointed in you.
Oh, come on. Don't do that.
It's just, I got...
Wait a minute. What are those?
Who washed the kids' lunch boxes?
Guess the kids did. We won.
Let's go back to bed.
Not so fast, Jean-Pierre.
Ugh. All right, you caught me.
Uh, hey.
Let's do your thing and give up, huh?
We can, we can give up together in the tub.
No. No. The tub is for winners.
Look at us.
We went on strike to make the mess the kids' problem
and we ended up just punishing ourselves.
Well, you're right.
I mean, at this point,
their rooms are probably the cleanest ones in the house.
You know what? They are.
And we are finally gonna make this mess their problem
because I just got an idea.
Okay, babe, everyone's home from their playdates.
- Hey, hey, look how clean it is in here. - I see it.
Stick with me, kid.
That's right. We cleaned up.
You got us.
Oh, here we go.
Good luck.
See you on the other side.
Oh, my God!
- What happened? - Somebody help!
That is the sweet sound of victory.
I did all the laundry.
I took out all the trash.
I broke a plate and didn't have to do anything after that.
And what I'm hearing is you surrender.
Pretty much.
Say it.
We surrender.
All right, then the strike is over.
We do our work. You do your work.
Everybody gets along.
You win.
We're not very happy.
And that's how we know we're doing a good job.
_
Okay.
After I take out the kids' trash, I'll make their beds.
Okay. And, uh,
I'll pick up their toys
- and start vacuuming their rooms. - Okay.
Hey.
What the hell happened?
Call your dad!
I'm on it.
Synced and corrected by Octavia - www.addic7ed.com -