A lot of wasted time and energy

Over the weekend I observed my girlfriend’s children expound a large amount of energy and time trying to do nothing.
They both attempted to resist doing the things their mother had asked them to do. In some cases they would argue with her incessantly even if the chore or task would take them less time than they spent arguing.
I sat and wondered how much time is wasted by children who do not want to do what there parents ask or tell them to do?
It has to be an astronomical amount of time wasted.
Then I recalled my own childhood and realized that nothing has changed over the course of 20 years. I too would often resist doing what needed to be done in an effort not to do what my parents wanted me to. All for what?
The triumph over authority? The avoidance of exertion?
I am not sure at what point in my youth that I realized that if I just do what I am asked things work out much better.
As I said, the task or chore often only takes a short bit of time. When done immediately I had more time to do the things that I liked to do. Arguing against doing them often took up that free time and in the end I either had to do it or was grounded and lost on both counts.
Funny how kids work so hard to avoid doing work to try and do only “fun” things and yet if they only realized that if they did it right as soon as they are asked they could have more time for fun.
–Until then, Ken