How clean is your kids room?

@mamasan34 (6518)
United States
October 10, 2007 12:38pm CST
My daughter bless her heart is the biggest slob I have ever seen. I am a very neat person, but I think she takes after her father. I have gotten on to her so many times about cleaning her room. I have taken away just about everything at one time and bagged it all up and put it away. I have tried to go through and teach her how to clean her room, I have talked to her like an adult, like a child and nothing works! I have given her organizing tools, shelves, clothes hamper, you name it I have done it. It doesn't seem to matter. Her room always looks like a tornado hit it! Do your kids rooms look like that or are you blessed with a neat child? Tell me your stories.
3 people like this
11 responses
@carlaabt (3504)
• United States
19 Oct 07
My son isn't even 2 yet, and I already get the feeling he's the neatest person living in our house. lol I'm pretty messy and so is my husband. When I was a kid, if my room had been as clean as the picture of your daughter's room, my mom would have given me some kind of reward! lol Besides the kitchen and the bathrooms (They HAVE to be really cleaned at least three times a week, for obvious reasons) my son's room is generally the cleanest. He's pretty good about putting toys back in the toy boxes before he goes to sleep. From time to time he will have a few extra toys out that he decided he was going to sleep with, but really that's about it. He even carries his own dirty clothes out first thing in the morning if my husband forgets to take them out at night when he puts him in bed.
1 person likes this
@mamasan34 (6518)
• United States
19 Oct 07
That is great that your son is very good about putting things away and tidying up. My daughter is getting a bit better, the picture you saw was actually clean lol! Most often you can't see the floor. Thanks for responding!
@mouse27 (1155)
• Canada
15 Oct 07
my room when i was a kid used to look like that and it doesn't matter what you do as a parent your kids well find a way to make there room look like a natural disaster. my mom threatened to throw everything that was left on the floor out so i would always leave the stuff on my floor that i didn't want. my mom never threw any of it out cause she knew thats what i wanted
1 person likes this
@mamasan34 (6518)
• United States
16 Oct 07
That's very funny! You were a clever person lol! I guess your right, but I still have to try and she will still continue to drive me insane hahhaha! Thanks for responding.
• United States
11 Oct 07
Well, it is just my mother and I, and my room was always clean, why? My grandmother, my step-father, my cousins, and most of all, my Aunt, would have a field day if my room were ever at all a mess, but I in general like things neat and clean, so that that way I can find things easier.
1 person likes this
@mamasan34 (6518)
• United States
11 Oct 07
Hallelujah! Someone who enjoys a neat and tidy room! I have often told my daughter the very same thing that you stated,it is much easier to find things if you have a tidy room. Thanks so much for your response!
@gapeach65 (805)
• United States
11 Oct 07
None of my children keep their rooms clean. My oldest son will clean his room if his girlfriend is coming over, but other than that you can't even see his floor, and I know he has one in there. I make my youngest clean his room if his cousins are coming over, because they are young and I don't want them to get hurt in there, or lost for that matter. My oldest daughter lives with her boyfriend and he is always complaining about how messy she is, her closet is probably the worst, it's a walk in and you can't walk in it. Have you ever seen the commercial with that clutter monster, her boyfriend says that's her. I found it on www.youtube.com I just typed in clutter monster and it came up, I tried to link to it, but it wouldn't. Check it out, it's funny. I do have to say they come by it naturally, because my room's not the neatest either. I always use the excuse that creative people are not neat, and I'm a creative person, so there you go!
@mamasan34 (6518)
• United States
11 Oct 07
Yes, I think there might be an old friend lost somewhere under my daughters bed or in her closet trapped somewhere behind a pile or two. I am going to go check out that clutter monster on youtube! LOL You might quite possibly have an idea on that messy/creative thing. My daughter is very creative and imaginative and she is messy. My husband as well. I am not as creative as I used to be but I am sure anal about my cleaning! LOL Well, there are much worse things to be than just messy lol.
@abbey19 (3106)
• Gold Coast, Australia
12 Oct 07
I know how you feel mamasan, because as our kids grew into their teens, all three had rooms where you couldn't see the carpet because of all the clothes on the floor! They were slobs. I talked, fought and did everything to get them to pick things up and put their stuff away, but to no avail. In the end I gave up in exasperation and just kept the doors shut! Want some good news? They WILL improve - but not until they leave home and have a place of their own!
@mamasan34 (6518)
• United States
12 Oct 07
That is what I am thinking. I keep praying that she will take more responsibility for her own room after she moves out and embarks on her own life lol! For now, I just keep griping and making her clean it up lol.
@hopejordan (3561)
• Australia
11 Oct 07
well at the moment my kids have clothes all over the floor i just cleaned it not to long ago
1 person likes this
@mamasan34 (6518)
• United States
11 Oct 07
Yes, I can feel your pain! I helped my daughter clean her room a few weeks ago, gave her good tips on how to keep it clean with minimal effort and here we are again, back to the same thing again! Clothes all over the floor and then some lol! Thanks for your response!
• United States
10 Oct 07
My kids are half/half about keeping their rooms clean. They are good about putting there clothes in the basket, but as far as the toys that is a endless battle for me. My husaband on the other hand can tell them one time to clean up their room and they do it and it looks good.
1 person likes this
@mamasan34 (6518)
• United States
11 Oct 07
My daughter has a clothes hamper in her bathroom and she still will not put them in it! She will put her clothes on the floor next to it. If my husband were home she wouldn't be so bad probably! He is the Iron Fist of the house. Thanks for responding!
@Calais (10893)
• Australia
10 Oct 07
What are you talking about my daughter like that for ?? LOL Oh sorry its your daughter...I have one too and omg what a mess her room is...I remember when I was a little girl I had a neat / tidy pretty little girls room, unfortuntely it didnt rub off onto her..I too have tried everything...So now if she wants friends over or we go out she has to tidy her room...Even then it just gets shoved under the bed...OMG...LOL..
1 person likes this
@mamasan34 (6518)
• United States
11 Oct 07
Oh yes I am very familiar with that! We have tried bribing her as well to get her to clean her room. Most often if her dad gets on her, she will do what he says because he stands in her room and makes her do it to his standards. He is in the military so his standards are about like mine (of course when it comes to him lol, he's the biggest slob on the planet!) When I was a kid, I too was a very neat and tidy child. Everything had it's place, I even dusted! I always made my bed and always folded my clothing and all of my clothes faced the same direction in the closet, I still to this day can't abide having hangers facing all different directions lol. I know I am a bit anal! So seeing her room drives me bonkers! Thanks for responding.
@meholl (510)
• United States
10 Oct 07
I have bagged many toys in an effort to get the kids to keep their room clean. The last time was a month ago, and the kids still haven't seen those toys, yet their room is a mess. My kids really like chocolate milk, and I hardly ever let them have any. But if they ask for it and their room is a mess, I tell them they can have chocolate milk after the room is clean. But if there is a movie on or something, they figure that watching the movie is more important.
1 person likes this
@mamasan34 (6518)
• United States
11 Oct 07
Oh, I know what you mean. We have bagged her things up and put them away for an undetermined time, so that she worked for her things until she retrieved them all. After she got everything back, she went right back to doing it her way. Which means you can't see the floor until the movers come and pack us up. She wonders why she has such a hard time finding socks, bras and undies! They are everywhere, behind her desk, behind her bed, under her bed, I have a pile of loose socks in the laundry room awaiting the reunion of their mates.
@kitkat1 (1227)
• Canada
10 Oct 07
My two boys are very neat and tidy with exception to making their beds and dusting there rooms once in a while no problems there. The littly girl on the other hand you discribed her in your discussion my friend. I have tryed all the things you have tryed and nothing does work. I just keep plugging at it and making the best of it what else can you do. But you know that one would think it would be the boys not the girl funny about that isnt it. Just to let you no you are not alone and if they ever find a cure for it i will let ya know lol.
1 person likes this
@mamasan34 (6518)
• United States
11 Oct 07
Yes, I was thinking the same thing about that lol. I thought boys would be worse than girls. My daughters friend is 15 and he is very anal about cleaning. I came home one day to find that he was folding my throws in the living room that my daughter just threw on the couch and the floor and he was following her and cleaning up after her. I thought that was pretty funny. At least you have two kids that clean up for the most part and not three that make a mess! LOL, I will definitely let you know if there is a cure.
• United States
11 Oct 07
It's just a fact of life that kids rooms are messy. Accept that kids are like this and you will have fewer arguments.
@mamasan34 (6518)
• United States
12 Oct 07
I can't say that I can agree with you on that honestly. Accepting a childs blatant disrespect for his/her own things and that of the parents home and wishes, is not acceptable, just to have a few less arguments.