As usual, this post is about transferring responsibility to the kids. That doesn’t mean that we get to sit back and do nothing, but once this system is in place it’s much less stressful than normal.
I couldn’t wait to go to college. For the first time I could set my own rules and try out life on my own while still bringing my laundry home every weekend — independent, but not tooooo independent.
I only took the stuff that I needed to survive and happily moved into the dorm shared with 3 friends from home. For the first time in my life I kept my room clean. Spotlessly clean.
Was it because I only had a few things? Partly. Was it because I finally felt responsible for my own space? Partly. Was it because I was determined to show that I was a mature adult? Partly.
The REAL reason was the college inspected our rooms and bathrooms every Wednesday, and if we failed in any small part, we had to pay a maid to make it right. I was broke enough. I didn’t want to give up extra money each week just to wallow in filth.
Why did the school care that much? If we were filthy, then mold, rodents and bugs could become a problem. They were protecting their property and rightly so. Either we could clean ourselves or hire someone to clean it for us. The school didn’t care either way as long as the room got clean. As parents we have just as much right to protect our property and our sanity by requiring our kids to keep their rooms clean and keep the food in the kitchen.
The Plan
- Help your kids sort their items Konmari style, keeping only the things that spark joy. If they still have too much stuff, offer to box half the things to trade when they get bored with what they have.
- Give all the items they are keeping a specific home (labels are a nice touch.)
- Give a short list of expectations
- Inspect weekly (or daily at the start if you are building habits) You might have a learning time period when the kids get a treat for clean spaces
- Charge them for a maid if they need one
Do you think it would work at your house?
This has been day 14 of our series 31 Days of Kids and Money
P.S. I have to be really honest here. Not all of our kid rooms are clean right now. The ones that we have Konmaried are doing well and we’re still in the process on the rest. We proved the system worked at our old house and now we’re working to get back to that happy place. A lot of it depends on me being consistent with the checking, the rewards and the consequences. Sometimes I think It would be easier to just clean the room myself, BUT that’s not good for the kids. How amazing would it be to grow up and be a tidy adult? I want that for them.
Your college sounds like mine!
I am SO not a tidy adult but I think I stumbled onto the Konmari method accidentally having never heard of it! We had to live in a tiny travel trailer for a year, so really pared down what we had with us – only the things that we really wanted (see – brought us joy), then we moved into a bigger space, but so far, have not tried to fill it with too much more than what we had in the trailer (some necessities like some chairs and a kitchen table that were given to us). It is so open feeling and everything has a spot. It is really helping my kids be successful when cleaning up their toys and has provided such a great play space for them! I just need to keep reminding myself of that every time I get a bug to buy something for the new place! I found you on the #HomeMattersParty! Thanks for sharing your great tips.
Nicole, thanks for coming by for a visit! There is a freedom in having less stuff for sure. I’m just now learning that lesson.