Teens keeping their room clean

Alison72_2

:rolleyes:If it's any consolation my dd is 19 and wont even make her bed I just shut the door now they don't even put their ironing away just leave it on the floor to get covered in dust as for changing the sheets:rotfl:my middle dd is tidier and is only 15. my constant moaning has led to accusations of me having ocd and clean freak the cheek. I agree with everyone else life is too short if they want to live in a pigsty so be it as for your mother:eek: just ignore her:A

poet123

Apparently I have OCD too, how common is it amongst mothers I wonder:rolleyes::T

Smashing

Personally I think it's a case of their space, their mess, their choice. We never had food in our room and I think that's fair enough as then mess can become smells and unwanted visitors.
That and the fact that we don't have an endless amount of cutlery.

remembered_nights

We were always told to change our beds and bring the sheets down, and reminded to bring washing down but parents never interfered in our rooms. My room is now tidier than theirs, but my brother's (19) is a filth-pit, still hoping he'll grow out of it

tori.k

so far touch wood, seems just the idea of me cleaning/invading my 2 oldest boys rooms is enough to make sure the beds are made and washing put away, i gave them the choice i can go thru their stuff or they can, i have banned food in the bedrooms when i started running out of plates, and they clean up their rooms properly on a thursday night so i can change the sheets on a friday.
i not an avocate of shutting the door on there mess or paying them for their rooms, its respect for our home.
i didnt make an issue out of the mess just gave them the choice,if they wish to be treated as young adults rather then children.

retepetsir

My other half (she's 22) has apparently always been messy (according to her dad). She's never broken the 'messy' habit either and now that we're living together I find myself tidying up after her all the time....slightly frustrating! I'm sure the way she makes things messy, it would be less effort and time wasted to just tidy in the first place.

Ah well, I'm an overly tidy person so maybe opposites attract? It annoys me sometimes though as I come home from work to find the whole place in a complete state!

never_enough

Glen0000 wrote: »

When she visits she goes in every room, even if the doors are closed. then weeks of snidey comments about the state of the place. It can be very draining.

Then either don't invite her or tell her to butt out! With a bit of luck she'll flounce off & you wont need to deal with her interfering or snidey comments anymore. Some people really need to get a life, their own, not yours!

buxtonrabbitgreen

I am pleased to hear that everyones teenagers are messy. I went in my dd's room to open the window the other day and something on the floor broke. I have no idea what it was as the whole floor is covered in stuff.
She has no embarassment about friends seeing the mess. She doesn't care.
Once a week I give her a washing basket to put her dirty clothes in, and a washing up bowl to put dirty cutlery and crockery in. Then I strip her bed and give her the clean bedding.
She will grow out of it.
I had 2 really filthy boys, who, after they left home and got them selver gf's and wives changed into clean freaks.
So I can't see any point in worrying myself about it.
If she starts leaving stuff around downstairs I just stick it inside the bedroom door. The mess stays in one room then.

kaz665

My 11 year old is pretty messy whilst I am a tidy freak. We have a deal that in order to get his weekly pocket money he has to change his bed, clean out his hamster and tidy his room. Fortunately the need for money generally ensures that at least once a week his room gets sorted out! Also since we have had a bit of a clear out it is now much easier to find places to put things away.

sarymclary

I have 4 boys, and they would all be messy and not tidy given half the chance. However, my OH and I do not want a messy house, and whilst this is their home while they live here, it is also our home, and we keep everywhere else clean and tidy, which they have the benefit of.

I think it's all part of pulling together as a family to have the shared responsibility to care for the home, and your own living space.

My eldest 2 share a room, and would, given the chance, never clean or tidy it. The house rule is that they have to leave their beds made every day, and keep the floor clear. Once a week they have to dust and vacuum it, and when I ask them to strip their beds I expect them to do it, take the sheets to the washing machine, and then put clean ones on before they go to bed again.

I don't nag them, I don't shout at them or anything like that, but what I will do is cut the plugs off all their electrical equipment, confiscate their laptop, ban them from the main PC & any internet access, ground them for the rest of the week, etc. The boundaries are firm, and the sanctions harsh, but being this way actually has created a better harmony in the house, they have a room they feel proud of, and it's one less thing to be stressed about.

The 4 boys use the dining room as their lounge, and I have appointed my 15 y/o with the task of ensuring everyone who uses it keeps it tidy. That means he ensures his brothers tidy up after themselves (as they'd gladly leave the tidying up of their own stuff to someone else given half a chance), has given him some responsibility, and it means he gets praise for keeping it ticking along nicely.

The house rule is also that there is to be no food or drink in the bedrooms (unless they are poorly and have a bottle of water), as it just creates more !!!! to get trodden into the carpet, or spilt, or dirty wrappers/containers to smell or go mouldy. We don't eat or drink upstairs, so they don't have to.

I stopped ironing for my 2 eldest boys after finding my hours of ironed clothes stuffed in the back of the wardrobe one too many times. Now they have to do their own (aged 15 & 17), or they will offer to do something extra for me, if I'll do some ironing for them (they'll mow the lawn, clean the bathroom, etc).

I am not a mega houseproud person, and am happy for the children to have their things out during the day, but the end of the day has to involve tidying things up - just as they do at school. It makes cleaning easier if the decks are cleared.

So long as you have provided ample storage place, and facilities, there is no reason for clothes and belongings to just be left out. That's laziness, and lack of respect for themselves, their own living space, and your home.

My youngest is 8, and 2 days this week he left his uniform on the floor after getting changed to go out to play. He got grounded for a day each time he did it. The rest of the week he remembered to leave his uniform neatly on the end of his bed.

Make the sanctions harsher than the crime and they tend to monitor themselves in the end.