But I do like things neat.
I grew up in a home that was often cluttered with mail and newspapers. So, while I'm not one to do a white glove test to check for dust, I do get frazzled by piles of stuff that doesn't get put away. That brings me to the topic of my sons' rooms.
I don't want to say the Buckman Boys are slobs, BUT... let's just say putting things away isn't a strong point. Eight-year-old Micah is most likely to put his dirty clothes in the hamper and his clean clothes back into his drawers. Some of the clutter in his room is my fault. I just haven't gotten around to putting his outgrown clothes into boxes in the attic. But his bedside table is full of books he's already read, and toys he wants to keep out.
Billy likes to be able to see all his stuff - so his clothes are much more likely to be hung on the closet doorknob instead of inside the closet and on top of the dresser instead of inside the drawers. It's been months since I've seen the top of his bureau. He'll usually pick his dirty clothes up off the floor each weekday morning. But on the weekends? Forget it!
Jason will also pick up his clothes off the floor in the mornings (this is a skill that was forced on the boys through allowance deductions), but his desk and bureau tops aren't much better than his brothers. And he constantly leaves his bathroom vanity covered with stuff. Since he and Micah share a bathroom, this really isn't a good thing.
My big question is always how much should I force neatness on my sons? When we have company over, I make them clean their rooms, with varied results. Certainly, the neatness, if it is achieved, is short-lived. Online experts offer all sorts of advice. Dr. Thomas Phelan says parents have three options when it comes to getting kids to clean their rooms. Option 1 is "Close the door and don't look." Option 2 is "The Weekly Cleanup Routine" and Option 3 is "Daily Charting." About.com offers tips for a 15-minute Kids' Room cleanup. And Kaboose.com also has tips on making cleaning up "do-able" for kids.
I don't think my kids' rooms will ever be ready for a magazine photo shoot, but I like some of the tips in these articles about helping kids organize and get rid of stuff and rewarding them when they do. We're going to give some of them a try.
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