Very important. They make their bed every morning, keep their room tidy, and they are responsible for keeping it clean. My kids are more responsible than a lot of their adult cousins. Nobody wants to live with a slob.

Yes, within reason. I require books to be reshelved regularly (he's a re-reader) and the bed to be made, but I'm not picky about the bed making technique (plus he tends to burrow into to read at certain times of the day but I make him straighten it up periodically). He also folds and puts away his own laundry and gets his dirty clothes to the hamper. It gets vacuumed, well, not often, but at times.

I'm going to start having him dust periodically as well.

Anonymous wrote:Yes

My husbands mom let him be messy growing up. This carries on into adulthood. Help them form good habits now

+1 It's my little gift to future roommates and partners. The knowledge of where items are located and and avoiding the misery following inability to find stuff in a chaotic mess = gift to me and my stress levels.

Yes

My husbands mom let him be messy growing up. This carries on into adulthood. Help them form good habits now

No. But he's tidier than I am, and he's a minimalist. He's home from school now and his bathroom and bedroom look like a clean hotel space. He says he can't sleep well with clutter.

He had a messy roommate sophomore year and I felt sorry for the disorganized kid, whose side of the dorm room reminded me of what my own dorm room had looked like. Ds used to send us photos of the other kid's mess, complaining that he couldn't feel comfortable living like that, even though his side of the room was pristine.

I don't know how ds ended up like this.

I think it is important for EVERYONE in the household to take the time to clean up their belongings. Good habits start early.

Anonymous wrote:Out of curiosity, why is it important?

I think it’s important to care for your belongings, and leaving things all over the floor (for example) isn’t acceptable. I obviously make exceptions for a puzzle or Magnatiles tower that is special and my kids want to leave out for the next day.

Plus, I find it far easier to do a quick daily tidy instead of letting it get out of hand. That’s a good lesson for lots of things in life.

yes

Out of curiosity, why is it important?

Yes, rooms are clean. Not always perfect but they’re definitely tidy.

yes

Anonymous wrote:Yes, we tidy up every night before bed. It’s just a good habit.

+1

I notice a correlation between their behavior and a tidy house, so we tidy up before bed.

Yes, we tidy up every night before bed. It’s just a good habit.

Nope. I don’t let him eat or drink in there other than water. He needs to have a clear, wide path to the door

This is something I've never been very strict about.