Really, I don’t have a problem with this picture when I walk into somebody else’s house. It makes me feel a little closer to the mommy, kind of a kindred spirit thing going on. After all, I have been there quite a few times and know what she is going through. I kindly give her the “no problem, don’t worry about it” gesture with my hand as she periodically apologizes for the MESS! Really, it can’t be denied. It quite truly is a mess.
The only time there really is a problem is when this same mess is in my house, which is where this scene occurred. It is so easy to get upset with the children, which I have done often, and after discovering the MESS, the yelling starts. Yep. I’m a yeller! I am not proud of it and am working on making a change, but that isn’t the point right now.
At the present time, their room doesn’t look like this and I must give them a little bit of credit. This was the result of me yelling at them asking them to “get their room clean for the billionth time.” Instead of just doing a surface clean, which I would have been quite happy with, they decided to organize. Well, we all know what happens towards the end of that type of bright idea. The motivation for bringing more order to the room slowly seeps from their little bodies as the task grows and the result is an even messier room.
Frankly, I’m tired of stepping in and saving the day, but I know that is what I am supposed to do as a mommy. I have participated way too many times with helping and have also cleaned this room from top to bottom alone to give them a new start. They appreciate a neat and orderly room, but apparently, not as much as I do. I need them to want to see some order more often than they do when it comes to keeping their room clean.
For now, it looks like I am going to have to step in and clean, organize, and give away a few more things to bring some order around here and give them a new start, again.
How do you help your children bring order to their rooms? What type of routine or schedule do they follow?
Routine? Schedule? Hah! Saturday is supposedly the designated kid room cleaning day at my house. Wren is pretty good about getting it done, and I organize the things she can’t (ok, she can, but not to my standard). The boys are another story. I refuse to help them pick up toys and I can spend up to three hours just sitting in their room making sure they stay on task. It’s exhausting and it takes every last bit of patience/strength I have to not just throw everything away. The latest plan is that they will put away the toys, and put the clothes and books into piles which I will sort and organize. I also set the timer for 15 minute increments and check their progress. That seems to be working a bit. Another prob is that Robin does not want Finch to help *at all*. Haven’t figured that one out yet. BTW, I’m a yeller too. Yellers Trying To Reform, unite! LOL.
And I also don’t have a prob seeing others’ homes in that state. I’m like, oh, please…you should see *my* place. Hehe.
I’m right there with you. Tinky girl is my messy one. I will sit with her and tell her let’s start with the clothes. Put all the clothes in a pile and we will put them in the hamper. Next let’s pick up all the toys, put them where they belong. Third the books, they belong on the bookshelf. Then all the garbage scrap paper and broken pieces of toys or crayon. It takes a while, but I want her to understand this needs to be done. I try to get both of the kids to pick up before they go to bed. Umm where do I sign up for the Yellers trying to Reform club?
HOw funny! My kids rooms look very similar! Since we’ve remodeled the house it’s really neat and organized, but the kids rooms are a disaster. I need to come up with a good system. If everything has a place and the kids know where that place is, then cleanup time is better for us. My youngest boy just shoves everything under the bed or in the closet…..
Thanks for your warm spring wishes!
love,
sara