In an attempt to break the deafening teen silence during breakfast, I began
a conversation.
“So I saw a meme . . . ”
Laughter erupted from my twin teens.
“It’s pronounced MEEEM, not MEH-MM. You sound like Elle’s mom who said
MeeMee,” my teen daughter corrected me.
Just for the record – I’m not alone. There is an entire article written
about how to pronounce meme.
I didn’t let the laughter or mispronunciation deter me. If I did, I would
never communicate with my twin teenagers.
“Anyway, as I was saying, I saw a MEME that said, ‘If some YouTube
star could create a ‘Clean Your Room Challenge’ or even a ‘Put Your Clothes
in the Hamper Challenge,’ that would be awesome.’ I thought that might
interest either one of you.”
“Um, where did you see that one? Facebook?” she retorted with a snickering
implication (since I’ve heard it before) that Facebook is for “old people”
and “irrelevant”.
Again, I didn’t let a little snicker or insinuation deter me.
“As a matter of fact, I did see it on Facebook and I think it sounds like a
great idea. Maybe next time you are bored you can start shooting some
scenes.”
And then I got the obligatory eye-roll followed by a “yeah, whatever Mom.”
My twin teens may not be up for the challenge, so I’m going to put the call
out to the rest of the entrepreneurial teens out there. I’ll even expand on
the meme and provide you with some detailed suggested shots, along with
another possible challenge. Here it goes:
Clean Your Room Military-Style Challenge
Actor required:
Military Drill Sergeant
Opening Scene:
I suggest a ‘”before” scene of a messy room. I might be able to persuade my
daughter to provide a sample since her room would be perfect with clothes
on the floor and drawers left open, and since she is an artist there is
plenty of paint splatter and, of course, an unmade bed.
Challenge:
To clean your room in order to pass inspection by a military drill
sergeant.
End Scene:
Again, I would be willing to offer up my daughter as a participant. Here
you would show the teen transforming the messy room into a spotless oasis.
Then you could pan to the military drill sergeant completing an inspection.
It would end with a quarter being bounced off the bed to test the tightness
of the sheets and me (or another mom) smiling the biggest smile you have
ever seen.
Put Your Clothes in the Hamper Challenge
Actor required:
Physical Trainer. I would recommend Sean T from the Insanity workouts – he
really knows how to prod people into shape.
Opening Scene:
Again, feel free to use my house. You can take your pick of bedrooms,
bathrooms or the entry hallway. I guarantee you will find a mountain of
clothes strewn on the floor.
Challenge:
To place all clothes in the laundry hamper in under five seconds without
allowing them to touch the floor.
Training:
Since this is a tough one and requires some strength training, I would then
pan to Sean T with a full workout plan in place, including squats, lunges
and some arm extensions.
End Scene:
Sean T would have his stopwatch set while the participant (again, my
daughter would be perfect for this) completes a set of challenging obstacle
courses involving different size hampers, along with a variety of clothes
such as t-shirts, shorts, pants, underwear and socks.
Close the Drawer, Door (including refrigerator door) and Turn off the
Lights Challenge
Actor Required:
A karate instructor similar to Mr. Miyagi from the movie “Karate Kid.”
Challenge:
After opening a drawer, door or turning on the lights, the teen would need
to close the drawer/door (or turn off the lights) before leaving the room.
Training:
This seems to require a lot of practice and effort to complete, so I would
recommend a training session similar to the “Wax On-Wax Off” seen in the
movie the “Karate Kid,” except it would involve “Turn On-Turn Off” or
“Open-Close” training.
End Scene:
The participant would be timed by the karate instructor on how fast they
can open and close a drawer/door or turn on and off a light. [My daughter’s
schedule is wide open, which I can attest to by the number of times I’ve
heard her say, “I’m bored.”]
Lights, Camera, Action
This should be enough to get the ball rolling. I have plenty of other ideas
we can discuss in more detail like “Eat Your Vegetable Challenge,” “Cook
Your Own Meal Challenge” or “Do Your Own Laundry Challenge,” but I don’t
want to overwhelm you with ideas. After you put out a few videos, we can
talk some more.
Now if you will please excuse me, I have to go pick up some clothes off the
floor.
Originally published on the blog
Signature Moms.
