Nagging

I heard of a mother who was so sick and tired of asking her children to lay the table before dinner that one day, when they were all sat around a bare table, the mother started ladelling food straight onto the table.

This drastic measure panicked the kids so much that they scrambled to find bowls to place it under the falling stew and never forgot to lay the table again.

I think nagging is a poor method for making change happen.

It annoys everyone involved.

The nagger doesn’t want to be constantly reminding and the naggee doesn’t want to be eternally pestered.

Even the word sounds irritating.

Perhaps nagging is a way of avoiding the act of punishing.

For example when you didn’t do your homework you got a note home to your parents. That was the done thing and you accepted your punishment fair and square.

But I find nagging doesn’t usually come with a penalty.

I think punishment would render the nagging useless.

Of course give fair warning.

‘If you don’t start laying the table, then I’m going to start throwing your dinner any which way.’

Then when the consequence arrives and stew is splattering your best shirt, how can you complain?

They gave you fair warning!