My DD is in her first year of college. Like I said in an earlier post, I discovered Fly Lady years ago and turned my DD into a Fly Baby. I’ve always made her clean up her own room and at some age, the dusting and vacuuming (and cleaning her bathroom) became her responsibility - especially during the summer when she wasn’t in school. BUT, when she was little and a fan of “clutter” and not picking up clothes, toys, etc., I decided to start something new. She knew that her room was to be picked up before she went to bed. And that didn’t mean shoved in the closet and under the bed. I HATED stumbling over crap on her floor if I needed to go to her in the middle of the night, so that was my “excuse.” I can’t tell you how many nights I’d go to tuck her in and get her butt out of bed b/c her room wasn’t picked up.
You know, before long she discovered she liked it that way and I didn’t have to say anything to her anymore. She was one tidy teenager. When other people came over and looked in her room, they always thought I kept it that way. Nope, it was all her. I won’t say she’s a neat freak, but i probably could. Liking things neat and organized has now spilled over into her college dorm. So teaching your kids to live in clean, clutter free space really does make a difference.
