Messy kids, help!!

aliasojo

No no no you're all trying to tackle this the wrong way.

What you need to do is let the rest of the house become a tip, let the washing pile up, leave the dishes dirty etc. It's amazing how quickly they decide they can't handle it and they then clean their space so they have somewhere tidy to chill. Of course the upshot of this strategy means it's then you that has the problem.

As discovered during an extended period of DIY and associated mess.

Seriously though, I agree with what was said above. If you don't want to put my tip into practice (can't think why not, mind ) then as long as the dishes come out from their rooms and there's nothing left that could smell out the whole house....then turn a blind eye to the rest.

toozie_2

My DD's aged 14 & 16 get £5.00 pocket money each on Saturday morning......if their rooms are tidyish.
I don't nag at all, all week the rooms are a tip, and Friday night they tidy them, ready for Saturday! The doors are just closed all the time, they have always brought dirty washing out to the basket in the bathroom-coz they know their fav things will never get washed otherwise. Plates always come down straight away, glasses of water tend to stay their until the Friday blitz.

Clothes tend to be the problem for them, changing sometimes twice/3 times a day....not keeping anything thats still clean....not being able to actually see or understand the use of a wardrobe!

They would rather put a clean (not worn top) back in the washing basket than hang it up!

Anything left in the rest of the house, I just dump inside the bedroom door, where it stays until the Friday night blitz.

Hubby doesn't actually agree, as they don't give a S--- until they realize they won't be getting the £5.00. He thinks the money should only be given if the rooms are tidy all week, but I think thats an imposibility, and only causes major family rows.

At the moment eldest DD has finished school, waiting for GCSE results before hopefully going back to school. Some days, when she has got nothing planned, I go to work...she's in bed...come home at 4pm, and she's still not dressed...sitting in her jim jams watching a DVD. This really infuriates me! She has serveral baby-sitting jobs, so she may get dressed about 6.30pm to go out at 7pm....to come home at 10pm, and put her jim jams back on!!! Roll on 2 years time!

nearlyrich

Toozie I know what you mean, I have a son who has just finished first year at uni, he is working in a pub for the summer and it's open till either 12 midnight or 2am depending on the day of the week. He is doing split shifts late finishes etc so he has become nocturnal.

Daughter just finished A2 and has been doing a variety of part time jobs and shopping, I work from home and some days the temptation to play loud music and turf them out of bed at a reasonable hour (3pm?) is too great.

Anyway today is a good day because all of them have gone away, all to different places and I get a whole 24 hours to do what I like, back to the duvet maybe? DH back tomorrow evening son back Thursday and daughter gone for 2 weeks bliss.