It's funny, Mike, but my kids came to mind, like Deb's. Over the past few months, emotional overwhelm has kept me from holding them accountable to do the things they rightfully should be doing. In the absence of my prompting, chores were either not being done or I was doing them to avoid conflict, oversight responsibilities, etc.

A couple of weeks ago, I started requiring certain things to be done again, and was amazed at how easy it was to do. There was no grumbling or resistance. They simply needed to know I still wanted them to do it.

By doing it for them, they were feeling unnecessary and, as a result, unloved. Holding them accountable and letting them know that, yes, they did still need to put their dishes in the sink when they were done eating, alleviated pressure from me, and let them know they had something worthwhile contributing.