Comments on: Mess makers http://www.nine-moons.com/?p=1385 Tue, 21 May 2013 21:34:39 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.1 By: MCQ http://www.nine-moons.com/?p=1385&cpage=1#comment-95908 MCQ Sun, 24 Apr 2011 18:49:14 +0000 http://www.nine-moons.com/?p=1385#comment-95908 Good advice, annegb. Good advice, annegb.

]]> By: annegb http://www.nine-moons.com/?p=1385&cpage=1#comment-95900 annegb Sun, 24 Apr 2011 15:40:15 +0000 http://www.nine-moons.com/?p=1385#comment-95900 It sort of sounds like "my" room. "Our" room is always neat and clean, but my room aka my cave is pretty much a cluttery mess 95% of the time. I clean it up totally spotless when it begins to bug me, which is long after it begins to bother Bill. But we can shut the door. Having raised my kids, looking back, if I had to do it over, I'd skip that particular battle and just shut the door. I was going to say I don't know why I've become a slob in my old age (I was a pretty neat and clean teen) but then I remembered I work and I'm ill. Maybe teens are just stressed out. They get up early, they run all day, stay up late and catch up on their sleep on weekends. So I'd probably just shut the door on their sloppy mess today. Yeah. It sort of sounds like “my” room. “Our” room is always neat and clean, but my room aka my cave is pretty much a cluttery mess 95% of the time. I clean it up totally spotless when it begins to bug me, which is long after it begins to bother Bill. But we can shut the door.

Having raised my kids, looking back, if I had to do it over, I’d skip that particular battle and just shut the door.

I was going to say I don’t know why I’ve become a slob in my old age (I was a pretty neat and clean teen) but then I remembered I work and I’m ill. Maybe teens are just stressed out. They get up early, they run all day, stay up late and catch up on their sleep on weekends.

So I’d probably just shut the door on their sloppy mess today. Yeah.

]]> By: Kathleen http://www.nine-moons.com/?p=1385&cpage=1#comment-95531 Kathleen Sat, 02 Apr 2011 16:59:29 +0000 http://www.nine-moons.com/?p=1385#comment-95531 I was at least as messy as your daughter sounds (probably worse, though) from a very young age until I left for college. 10 years later, I've become a bit of a neat freak. My parents never made me clean my room, although they made their displeasure about the mess known. I think part of the problem when I was growing up was that all my belongs were kept in my tiny bedroom (I didn't like to leave stuff in other parts of the house where people could "get" at it). Organizing it was just too overwhelming. Now my whole apartment is my space, and there's enough space that I can keep things organized, and I really like it to be clean. I was at least as messy as your daughter sounds (probably worse, though) from a very young age until I left for college. 10 years later, I’ve become a bit of a neat freak. My parents never made me clean my room, although they made their displeasure about the mess known. I think part of the problem when I was growing up was that all my belongs were kept in my tiny bedroom (I didn’t like to leave stuff in other parts of the house where people could “get” at it). Organizing it was just too overwhelming. Now my whole apartment is my space, and there’s enough space that I can keep things organized, and I really like it to be clean.

]]> By: B.Russ http://www.nine-moons.com/?p=1385&cpage=1#comment-95440 B.Russ Thu, 31 Mar 2011 18:04:16 +0000 http://www.nine-moons.com/?p=1385#comment-95440 I was messy. I grew out of some of it. I was the youngest, so by the time my parents got to me, they didn't have any desire to fight the clean-room-fight. College roomates, missionary companions, and the desire to have a somewhat neat living space should a female come over were much better devices for getting me out of messy habits than any allowance/threats from my parents. I was messy. I grew out of some of it. I was the youngest, so by the time my parents got to me, they didn’t have any desire to fight the clean-room-fight.

College roomates, missionary companions, and the desire to have a somewhat neat living space should a female come over were much better devices for getting me out of messy habits than any allowance/threats from my parents.

]]> By: Last Lemming http://www.nine-moons.com/?p=1385&cpage=1#comment-95424 Last Lemming Thu, 31 Mar 2011 13:24:55 +0000 http://www.nine-moons.com/?p=1385#comment-95424 <em>his room really was awful... I found some Halloween candy from 4 months earlier.</em> 4 months? MONTHS???? Amateur. Sheesh. his room really was awful… I found some Halloween candy from 4 months earlier.

4 months? MONTHS????

Amateur. Sheesh.

]]> By: David T. http://www.nine-moons.com/?p=1385&cpage=1#comment-95407 David T. Wed, 30 Mar 2011 16:21:02 +0000 http://www.nine-moons.com/?p=1385#comment-95407 Well, not to split hairs, but our daughter's allowance is actually a stipend which we sometimes hold over her head if she <em>doesn't</em> clean her room, vacuum the house, polish the silver, etc. Is that the same as paying her for doing her chores? I haven't given it much thought. But like mfranti's daughter, ours gets good grades. She fills her free time with ballet, piano, cello and (it feels like) a bunch of youth activities. She cooks and sews for fun. She's attentive to her appearance and sensitive to modesty. We may spoil her with some extra latitude like not having to maintain a perpetually immaculate room, but as I said, we pick our battles and this one's nothing. A 15-year-old in our ward from a good, active family recently had a baby. A 17-year-old in the other ward in our building killed himself last week. Do you really think I give a rodent's derriere about driving home the correct principle of a teen's tidy room? Well, not to split hairs, but our daughter’s allowance is actually a stipend which we sometimes hold over her head if she doesn’t clean her room, vacuum the house, polish the silver, etc. Is that the same as paying her for doing her chores? I haven’t given it much thought.

But like mfranti’s daughter, ours gets good grades. She fills her free time with ballet, piano, cello and (it feels like) a bunch of youth activities. She cooks and sews for fun. She’s attentive to her appearance and sensitive to modesty. We may spoil her with some extra latitude like not having to maintain a perpetually immaculate room, but as I said, we pick our battles and this one’s nothing.

A 15-year-old in our ward from a good, active family recently had a baby. A 17-year-old in the other ward in our building killed himself last week. Do you really think I give a rodent’s derriere about driving home the correct principle of a teen’s tidy room?

]]> By: Rusty http://www.nine-moons.com/?p=1385&cpage=1#comment-95404 Rusty Wed, 30 Mar 2011 15:58:31 +0000 http://www.nine-moons.com/?p=1385#comment-95404 #21 MCQ, I think that's what G is afraid of!! #21
MCQ, I think that’s what G is afraid of!!

]]> By: meems http://www.nine-moons.com/?p=1385&cpage=1#comment-95402 meems Wed, 30 Mar 2011 15:20:16 +0000 http://www.nine-moons.com/?p=1385#comment-95402 No, I don't pay for chores, although they get an allowance every week so they have their own spending/saving/tithing money. They are 10 and 11. The only ways my kids really clean their rooms is if I help them, and they actually do appreciate the help. This past week we dropped some money at Ikea for shelving units, baskets, closet organizers, etc. The kids and I put them together. Now we just have to get the junk off the floors and move the piles in the closets into the storage containers! Our house seems perpetually messy, but it never actually gets grimy, dirty, or smelly, thank goodness! No, I don’t pay for chores, although they get an allowance every week so they have their own spending/saving/tithing money. They are 10 and 11.

The only ways my kids really clean their rooms is if I help them, and they actually do appreciate the help. This past week we dropped some money at Ikea for shelving units, baskets, closet organizers, etc. The kids and I put them together. Now we just have to get the junk off the floors and move the piles in the closets into the storage containers!

Our house seems perpetually messy, but it never actually gets grimy, dirty, or smelly, thank goodness!

]]> By: Risa http://www.nine-moons.com/?p=1385&cpage=1#comment-95394 Risa Wed, 30 Mar 2011 04:42:55 +0000 http://www.nine-moons.com/?p=1385#comment-95394 My oldest kids are 9 and 7. Yes, I make them clean their rooms. And no, I don’t pay them for it. Like you, I think that chores and keeping their rooms clean are the price of being a contributing family member. If they want something, I have them do extra chores to pay for it. My daughter has ADHD (diagnosed) and keeping her room clean has always been a battle. I’ve learned that if I help her a little bit she doesn't get so overwhelmed and give up before she even begins. My son has always been really good at doing chores. I enjoys them. He’s always helped since he was tiny unload the dishwasher or run the vacuum. He’s naturally helpful. And most of the time he cleans his room of his own volition. My oldest kids are 9 and 7. Yes, I make them clean their rooms. And no, I don’t pay them for it. Like you, I think that chores and keeping their rooms clean are the price of being a contributing family member. If they want something, I have them do extra chores to pay for it. My daughter has ADHD (diagnosed) and keeping her room clean has always been a battle. I’ve learned that if I help her a little bit she doesn’t get so overwhelmed and give up before she even begins. My son has always been really good at doing chores. I enjoys them. He’s always helped since he was tiny unload the dishwasher or run the vacuum. He’s naturally helpful. And most of the time he cleans his room of his own volition.

]]> By: MCQ http://www.nine-moons.com/?p=1385&cpage=1#comment-95391 MCQ Wed, 30 Mar 2011 03:54:28 +0000 http://www.nine-moons.com/?p=1385#comment-95391 G, try not to worry. I was much the same way as a kid. G, try not to worry. I was much the same way as a kid.

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