Do you get upset if your kids have untidy and messy rooms?

Question

What actions are taken

Answer 1

Untidy is fine, messy is not. Everybody has off-days and too busy days, I'm not going to freak over some misplaced items. However, if I can't see the floor anymore or get hurt walking from one side of the room to the other, then it's time to clean the room. What I'd do depends on age. At younger ages, I'd gently help them figure out where things go (splitting tasks apart is a good suggestion) and only temporarily take away toys as necessary. As they get older, I expect them to be capable of taking care of more stuff themselves and if I have to, "clean" the room myself...involving things permanently going away.

Answer 2

Some kids are just messy and some are tidy. When they have parents that are cleaning freaks they normally tend to go the other way and are messy. Do what I did and you wont have a problem with messy rooms for very long. I simply made the rule if its not in the dirty clothes hamper it isnt going to get washed . If I find something on the floor while walking in to put their clean clothes away it gets picked up and put in a box and they dont get it back until they learn to keep thier stuff picked up. Thier beds I only asked them to at least pull thier covers up and make it look half way decent. and they got in the habit of doing that after I sprinkled some stuff on thier sheets like sugar and some sand and some smashed crackers. I also let the dogs in to jump around on thier beds so the sheets had nice paw prints on them and ended up smelling like dog. When they say thier beds like that I told them oh well you see if the covers were pulled up you wouldnt have that problem now would you . After that they pulled the covers up . When they loose a few favorite toys and end up with no clean clothes or dirty sheets they start keeping thier rooms picked up. There is no reason to get up set though. It really is no big deal other than you dont want them to grow up being sloppy. My sloppiest son ended up being the neat freak when he got older. Dont let your kids get to you and never let them think that they made you mad or upset. from the minute a baby is born they try to figure out what buttons they can push. ALwasys leave them guessing.

Answer 3

If the door is closed and I can't see it, I don't get upset. On the other hand, if I walk in and see 20 empty bottles and dirty dishes and clothes all over the floor, I do suggest that he might bring the bottles and dishes to the kitchen and put the clothes away. Frankly, for the past year it didn't do much good, but recently HE decided that it was worth it to have a clean and organized space. I think that his room is his, and until it spills out the door, into the hall and down the stairs, I'm going to give him some autonomy. If it looks like there's a health hazard, I might go and help him clean it.

Answer 4

My son is 5 1/2 and he has to clean his room everyday. It still gets messy from time to time, but it doesn't really bother me. About every other week I go in and we clean it all up together. I think that children's rooms are their own space and should look how they would like it too, even if that means it is messy. the reason I encourage him to be clean now is because I am hoping it will stick. I never allow him to have food in his room though, and I do ask that is laundry is put in the laundry basket as soon as he takes it off.

Children and teenagers have a very very hard time processing the instruction to "clean your room." Last semester I took a child and adolescent psychology course in college and learned a wonderful little trick concerning a clean room. Instead of asking the child to clean their room, ask them to pick up the blocks. After they finish one task ask them to move on to another, but by breaking down tasks children can process the information (their brains don't work like an adult's of course) and the room actually gets clean. This has worked WONDERS with my son. It takes a little more time on my part, but that is what parenting is about right?

Answer 5

I used to get very upset, I hate a messy house.
Over time, however - I came to realize that the way I think things should be isn't the only way.
I now enforce the once per week mom's sanity / sanitation rule.
They clean their rooms weekly, the time is their choice, but it has to be done by Saturday. If they don't do it, they don't go anywhere the next weekend. Anywhere. I don't care if they have a date with Brad Pitt - if their room isn't cleaned, they stay home.

Answer 6

Untidy I shut the door, dirty I made them clean. Kids will never keep their rooms as clean as moms would like. They have to have some space and individuality. My rules were, bed was made if company was coming, no clothes on the floor, no food or garbage on the furniture or floor.

Answer 7

Depends on how messy and how old they are? My nineteen year old is a slob and the room will start to stink if I don't nag him to clean. If I threaten to come in and clean that will normally get him motivated. My nine year old sometimes will let things pile up, but if I go in and offer to help we get things tidied pretty quickly. His is usually just a matter of a little clutter though...no smells as of yet.

Answer 8

I do...but I realise that they are only kids. We were messy too when we were kids...so now I've made a list of words & pictures of basic things the girls have to do, when they wake up in the morning ie. greet your sister, make your bed, eat your breakfast, brush your teeth, pick up toys, get dressed for school & throw dirtly clothes in the washing basket...this seems to work. just keep reminding them, without getting upset. I reward them with a sticker sheet...I stuck the list up next to the light switch, on the way out the door, so they see it every morning.

Answer 9

my son is only two.. but I make him clean. We make a game of it.. we bought him a large red tub, made sure all of his little toys fit in it..(like random cars.. stuffed animals.. puzzles) and we play "fetch" of sorts... its a game who can get the toys in quickest. He loves it, and it teaches him to put a toy back when hes done. Because of his age.. I dont get angry if he does leave his room messy... but by the time he is 4, I am going to require him to pick up after himself, because I believe the younger you start, the better chance you have of making sure it becomes a habit.
Punishment for not keeping the room tidy? Taking toys away! If he cant take care of them and put them away properly.. he doesnt need that many!

.. we also keep control of the clutter by making sure any time someone gets him a new toy, we move out an old one. We just got rid of all his "baby" toys in preperation for his sister being born.. and moved in all the christmas toys. He didnt even notice that he has half the toys he used to have, and it made a huge difference in the mess.

Answer 10

I have a seven year old who knows at 7 PM it's time to clean her room and I will tell her when to do it. If she does not then I will come in at 9 to tuck her into bed and I grab up everything that's on the floor and ground her from it for a week.