As A Parent
Do you ever feel like just shutting a door on a messy bedroom, walking out of a cluttered living room, or tempted to hide in your room? Most parents have dealt with those feelings many times while raising children. You can find some creative ways to help your child learn to put toys away when done playing.
Have you heard the little song about cleaning up? My grandchildren immediately go into “clean-up” mode when I ask them to pick up their toys. Singing with them and even helping pick up a few toys has been helpful in getting toys picked up before they go home. They know where their shoes and coats belong when they visit and are easy to find when it is time to leave.
With older children you may have to be a little more innovative to get their cooperation in keeping clutter out of your living space. Your child may come in from school, take off their backpack, drop it in the hall, take their shoes off at the door of the living room, and put their school papers on the kitchen table. You can ask them to pick up their belongings and put them away but many times your child or teen is so engrossed in what they are doing now it doesn’t get done. They may make promises to pick up belongings when a commercial comes on or when they reach a place in their game they can pause it.
Are threats and repeated requests not working? Let an innovative mother’s solution help you with your clutter!
Asking repeatedly for her children to pick up their belongings didn’t work, threatening didn’t work either, in fact, and nothing seemed to work for this mother. One evening after her children went to bed she looked at the clutter on the family room floor and hit on a brilliant idea. She picked up all the belongings and put them in a big box, which she then placed in her own room. The next morning everyone began looking for his or her backpacks, homework, and shoes. Handing each of her three children a list she explained to them the items were in the “impound” box and could be redeemed by doing household chores, or paying a small fine to get their items back. Of course, redeeming their possessions hit them where it hurt! This mother found a unique way to keep her home free of clutter!
There are other ways of keeping your home clutter free when you have children. Provide a basket to put shoes in when they come into the house. Place a coatrack or hooks where your child can hang their coats and backpacks when they come home from school. You will want to be sure the hooks are low enough for your youngest child to reach. If you make a practice of hanging up coats, putting shoes in a basket, or putting backpacks in a special place you will find clutter reduced!
In parenting, you need to learn to adapt as your children grow. When your child becomes a teenager you may want to choose which battles to fight. You will find that a teenager will want to do battle over small items. Don’t win the battle but lose the war. Pick which problem you want to stick to your guns on and let little things go. You may want to compromise with your teen, ask them to keep their clutter confined to their room and just shut the door! It worked for me!
Recommended Reading
- Keeping Communication Lines Open Between Parent And Child
- A Billion Toys And Bored
- Doling Out Punishment To Your Children
- You Can Be An Effective Parent
- Tips For Being A Successful Parent
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