Do you make your kids help clean up their mess?

Hi Crivas, Training a small kid to tidy up their mess is not an easy task. I am a mother of one kid and my son is heading to 33 months old soon. I have been training him to tidy up his own toys when he reached 1 year old. Of course, at first I have to talk to him nicely and might not tidy up the mess. Always be patient when handling small kid,as a parent we have to keep repeat and repaet our words to them,then only they will move. I also offer to help him up while he is tidying up his toys,slowly then let him do himself. It takes time for our kid to really understand the situation,they are still too young and playful all the time. Now,everytime when my son messed up his own things or mess up the drawer, I will insist that he has to clean up the mess before go for the next activity.It has to be a good habit to build up in his behaviour as he grows up.

Of course it is easier and quicker to do it myself but it is an important skill for them to learn and a rather good gift you can give your child of how to care for their surroundings, but thats not to say they always want to do it of course lol!

I think it's a good idea to start and train your kids to clean up as soon as you can. I remember that my mom did train me to clean up after I was done playing and that I wasn't too keen on doing that, I liked playing and making a huge mess by taking all of my toys but I remember getting mad when being told to clean up. My mom said that one day when I was little and being mad over not wanting to clean, she put me upside down, grabbed me by my feet and told me to clean up immediately lol anyway I think it's important because If you keep on cleaning for them you'll regret it in the future, when they'll always find an excuse to not clean, thinking it's your duty as a parent to clean up their mess. Children need to undersand what is good and what is not, and leaving a huge mess around surely isn't.

yeah i do, especially if they are using and playing their own toys, i have a toy bin for each of them so that they know where to put their toys after using it, it's a way of making our children teaching responsibility.

yes, definitely make them clean it up. if you don't they will expect you to do it and not do any chores or cleaning for the rest of their lives. and you are not going to be there to clean up after them when they leave home. their coworkers, roommates, bosses and husbands or wives are the ones who will suffer then!

Yes. I started to train my kids to tidy up the mess they created when they were 4 years old. However, it is not a pleasure experience to train them. Sometimes, I would rather do it myself. Example: they spilt water on floor. OMG. I have to clean the wet floor again after they have done their job. Double work! No choice. I think it is a good habit for them to pick it up slowly. Parents must have patience to train our own kids. Parenting is never an easy job! :)

I wish I did. It's just too much work I rather do it myself.

Yes it is easier to clean up the mess created by kids, but it is also important to have them understand what cleanliness is and that must come by doing it themselves.Therefore, I always insist on my daughter clean up her own mess, but at times it really becomes a tough experience when she starts to argue instead of just doing as she is told.It becomes really difficult to retain composure then, but I try to go through the harrowing experience just to teach the little one some good habits.