Inside Motherhood

Teach your kids to clean their own room

by Sherry on November 2nd, 2007

Here’s a blog post every parent needs. I’m sure some kids are born with a gene that makes them organized, and if the parents are organized themselves, it’s probably not a big deal to get them to clean up their own room.

In my home, however, between the kids, the housework, and all my work, it would be a stretch to say we have an orderly and tidy home. It’s clean and some areas are tidier than others but the only time the entire place is spotless is right before a party when I’ve sent both girls to their grandparents’ house while I clean up.

I know that I’ve gotten very frustrated with the state of my oldest daughter’s room and even more frustrated when I send her in to clean it up and nothing gets done other than kicking a pile of crap from one side to the other. However, this post points out the obvious that we don’t always think of. It mentions that kids don’t necessarily KNOW how to clean a room, especially once it gets really bad.

Then it goes on to demonstrate how we can help our kids learn how to do it on their own. I’d also add that kids often thrive on the thrill of independence and accomplishment, so if you help them learn to do it and then praise them for it (without fixing anything that isn’t perfect), it may be less of an uphill battle for upkeep. They may never love to clean their room, but at least if they know how, it will be a good start!

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POSTED IN: General, Parenting