Spring is here. (Although some days have already felt like summer.) And with Spring comes spring cleaning. For some people, that means yard work, planting flowers or preparing the garden. For others, it’s time to work on the house, doing things like pressure washing the outside and cleaning windows. It’s also a good time to declutter, going through closets and getting rid of those things you no longer want, need, or can wear.
Cleaning Your Room
Kids aren’t the best at keeping their rooms clean, regardless of what season it is. But most experts agree that’s okay. (As long as the room is only messy and not a health hazard. No one wants the bugs or mold that can come with old food wrappers and dirty dishes.)
How they keep their room is the way children assert their independence. Besides, there are bigger battles to fight than getting your child to clean his/her room. And if you’re a helicopter parent—you hover—this is a good way to learn to let go.
The Assignment
More than twenty years ago, when she was eight or nine, one of my nieces wrote the following short article for her English class.
How to Clean Your Room
These are the steps how to clean your room.
First, you have to pick up your dirty clothes and put them where they belong.
Second, you hang your clean clothes up.
Third, you pick up all of your toys.
Fourth, you clean out your closet, and after you do that you put your shoes nice and neat in your closet.
Fifth, you have to make your beds nice and neat; don’t forget to fluff up your pillow.
Next, you vacuum with your Oreck vacuum cleaner. After that, you dust and clean everything else.
Finally, your room should be cleaned, and you should have a nice clean sparkling room!!!
The Lesson
When I was home last Christmas, I told my great-niece about her mother’s article. Her response? She looked at me very seriously and said, “I want to read it. I need to know how to clean my room.”
It was all I could do not to laugh at her. But she actually hit the nail on the head. Did you know you have to train children to clean? The knowledge doesn’t magically come to them. A list like what my niece wrote is a great start, but there are other things you can do, too. Make sure there isn’t too much stuff in your child’s room. Declutter regularly and have a system for organization, i.e., make sure everything has a place where it belongs.
There’s truth in the old saying: People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. If your house is messy, don’t expect your child’s room to be any different. It’s up to you to set a good example. Remember, they learned to clean—or not to clean—by watching you.