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A Female Soldier's Last Battle
I arrived at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in 1974, in my 19th year, into the heart of the 82nd Airborne Division at the John F. Kennedy Center. The old timers called Fort Bragg “Little Hell.” The 82nd Airborne was the first to engage the enemy on...
An Overlooked Plan for Bush, Kerry, Democrats, Republicans, and Healthcare Costs
In an effort to assist our political leadership it would be wise to have a simple solution to a life threatening problem. The much talked about Medicare Medication benefits are going to waste if the medications are not taken properly. Since this...
Choosing Hiking Boots
If you’ve ever been 5 miles from the trailhead with painful blisters, or even a sprained ankle, you will appreciate how much your hiking enjoyment rests literally on your feet. The selection of the correct hiking boots can be the difference...
Paths of Yoga I
With dozens of Hollywood celebrities following in their Guru's lotus footsteps and the sick Western commercial behaviour exploding Yogas popularity to a system that simply enhances people's health, Yoga remains a system of spiritual unity of mind,...
Self-Divine-ation ... Defining a divine future!
In some of my counseling and coaching sessions, my clients ask me to perform a reading to tell them their future. In many cases, my response is, "why don't you tell me your future?" They stop and stare, speechless. Of course, that sounds sarcastic...
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Clean Your Room!!
How many times have you said that as a parent? Or...how many times have you heard that as a kid?
The whole "keep-your-room-clean war" happens in just about every household, but believe it or not, there are ways to make it not such a headache for both kids and parents.
The first thing you as a parent must remember is that every kid is different. Just like every adult is different. YOUR idea of clean is most likely not the same as your child's.
Also, all people (adults and kids) organize a space in their own way.
Let me give you example: My five year old son's idea of an organized room is that everything is in it's place. He likes things lined up where he can see them and when he cleans his room, everything goes back in the same spot where it belongs.
Now my 7 year old daughter, who is the creative type, doesn't really care where it goes. She has the "out of sight, out of mind" mindset. So trying to get her to put things in the same place every time is like pulling teeth!
After realizing and accepting that both kids are completley different I had to come up with different ways to help them keep their room clean.
What I just said is KEY! Coming up with ways to HELP them keep their rooms clean. If they have no system in place or nowhere to keep their things, then cleaning their room will seem like an impossible task. But, if you as the parent can adapt their rooms to their personality type, it will make things a lot easier.
Now back to my kids...For my son, having things labeled is a big help. He has a bin
labeled "army men", one labeled "dinosaurs", etc. So when I say, "please clean up your army men", he knows exactly where they go.
As for my daughter...I tried the labeling technique and what did she do? She took them off because she didn't like it. She said, "I know where my things go". So for her, dividing her room into zones (dress-up, doll house etc.) with a bin or two for each helps her keep her room clean.
I tried having one drawer for all her dress-up shoes and one drawer for all her dress-up accessories, but it just didn't work. She wants them all in one bin and doesn't mind digging for her things. Digging drives me crazy, but for her, it's just fine...and maybe even fun.
Last but not least, just walking into your kid's room and saying "Clean Your Room!" is usually not the best way to go. For toddlers, elementary age and for some teenagers it is a good idea to be specific.
For example: "Please put all your dress-up clothes in the box and all your doll clothes in their box." That way they have a specific mission. Instead of just looking at their room in a state of confusion, you have given them some direction.
One note to parents: Keeping YOUR room clean also will set a GREAT example for your kids! Hey, just making the bed makes a world of difference ;).
About the Author
Julie Bonner is the co-owner of www.cool-kid-bedrooms.com and has had extensive experience in organizing and decorating kids' bedrooms as well as all other areas of the home. She lives in Georgia with her husband and three children.
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