Children do what they are told

Assalm alykom:

Are you a little baffled by the title? I was confused by this statement when I was listening to a motivational tape and the speaker said this. Children do what they are told to do. The example he gave is that you tell your child to go and wash the dishes. You go in the kitchen some time later, and there are all these pots and pans in the sink, and the counters are still full of food. You are upset and mad and go to your child and say to him: "Why didn't you finish the pots and pans and clean off the counter?" He says, "But, you told me to do the dishes." He is right. I did not say anything about the pots and pans or the counters. Therefore, he did not do it. As a parent, I run in to this all the time. Then, I get frustrated that they did not complete the job. I really learned from this that I have to give specific instructions. From those instructions, I should only expect what are in the details and nothing more. If I want the entire kitchen cleaned, I need to tell my child to clean the dishes, wipe the counters, and clean the pots and pans. I really find this advice great, and it will help me as a parent to have less conflict and get the jobs done efficiently in the house.