|
|
 |
| THE CHILDREN'S ROOMS |
This is the first 'biggy'. Children's rooms are usually quite small and crammed with enough junk (kids call it 'essentials') to fill a warehouse, but remember, the more space they've got, the more mess they'll make, so be grateful for small mercies.
Start with clothes. Anything left lying on the floor (clean or dirty) goes into the laundry. This includes shoes if they need mud cleaned off them. If this leaves the kids with nothing to change into when they come home from school-too bad. They should have put it away, not hung it up on the floor. Get them into pajamas (yep that's right PJ's at 3 o'clock in the afternoon) or tell them they can run around in their underwear or stay in their dirty school clothes. After all, it's their own fault for not putting their clothes away and so making you think they all needed washing-otherwise why would everything have been lying on the floor or in a heap somewhere? They'll get the message (eventually). To be fair, you can't surprise them with this. A couple of nights before you are about to start on their rooms let them know what you are doing and tell them if there is no clean school uniform hanging in the wardrobe 2 days from now it will be their fault for not putting the dirty uniform (including socks) into the laundry for washing and they will have to wear a dirty one.
You have to let the whole family see that you are serious about Clearing the Clutter and Controlling the Chaos permanently. If they get the idea that this is just a fad you're on, they won't do their bit to keep their own rooms tidy. If two children (or more) share a room, each one is responsible for his or her own bed, clothing, shoes, toys etc. If they don't Clear and Control, you won't clean and they won't get dessert (or lollies or whatever their special treat is).
Make sure this rule applies ONLY to the guilty party. Fist fights have been known to break out (quite viciously I might add) when all the children in that room are denied a special treat because of one rebel. If nobody owns up, the entire family goes without dessert, including mum and dad (be prepared for dad going nuts here). Some people have thought that sibling pressure might be a good incentive-they were WAY WRONG. It might work with some families, but not in most. No point in having to make a trip to the hospital to get a broken nose patched up, then have to come home and clean up the blood.
All tops are de-cluttered in the same way as the lounge and bedroom. Toys are another thing altogether and there should be a separate box or container of some sort for them. Finish with the lights, fans, window ledges, windows, doors, frames etc.
|
|
|
