When they were young we did that but as they got to be older there were bigger issues to focus on. One is a neat nick and the other pretty sloppy. I don't think I am going to change them. |
For my two typical kids, I'm annoying about clean, but not about neat.
They can't eat in their room, or drink other than water. They need to wipe down surfaces, and vacuum and clean the bathroom, and empty the trash can. They also need to change their sheets and bring their dirty clothes to the laundry. But, beyond that, I don't care so much. For example, they take the laundry basket full of clean clothes up, and then just pick their clothes out of the basket. They never open the drawers. They can leave legos all over the floor, until it's the day to vacuum. On the other hand, my disabled child doesn't do well with clutter, and I need to be able to put my hands on things quickly to help him, so his room is very neat and tidy. He doesn't clean or tidy anything, due to severe physical disabilities, but I can absolutely imagine other kids who are capable of tidying, and need an orderly space. In that case, I'd probably teach them to keep it neat, since it's a life long skill. |
I don't mind if their room is messy (to a point) but the rest of the house has to be tidy. If I ask them to put something away and they don't, it gets trashed. Communal spaces need to be respected but I feel like their room is their space. |
Not true. I (female) was very messy kid and ever since late teens I’ve been a neat freak. Kids are messy because they are too busy enjoying life. Messes are really only an issue for adults. |