The Battle of the Bedroom
#askvicki , #keepingyourroomclean
Does this look familiar?
Are you fed up of being pestered to tidy your room….?
Then read on…..
- Ok, sometimes teens just don’t get what the big fuss is about, but this is your parent’s home, they work hard to make it nice and so it’s only natural that for them this means every room in the house.
- Agree with your parents what they mean by clean…do they mean tidy-up or do they want you to go around with the antibacterial spray. Once you understand what they want from you everyone’s life will be easier.
- Compromise is important too, things they see as clutter, may be of value to you and need to be out on display, so talk this through with them.
- Agree three things you will do every day. Here are a few quick and easy ones to pick from:-
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- Make your bed.
- Pick clothes up off the floor.
- Put all food, drink wrappers or cans in the rubbish bin.
- Open a window.
- Put dirty clothes in the laundry bin.
- Keep school books in a neat pile.
- Don’t leave make-up or hair products lying around.
- Once a week or every other week, have a good clean, hoover, wipe surfaces down, change the bed linen.
- Remember if your parents can smell something nasty coming from your room, so will your friends and your clothes may also start to take on this odour, so be sure there are no half eaten sandwiches, left over pizza, or dirty socks under the bed attracting mould or bacteria…YUK!
- Once a month go through your wardrobe and drawers, folding and putting clothes on hangers. There is nothing worse than pulling your favourite t-shirt out of your drawer to find it’s creased. This is also a great way to ensure you are not hanging on to clothes that are past their best.
- If storage is an issue, ask for some pretty storage boxes, to keep school stuff, hair accessories, make-up, magazines, etc…
- Ask if you can have a pin board put up, to avoid damaging the walls.
- If you share your room with a sibling, then it has to be a joint task to keep your room neat and tidy.
- Tidy your room without being asked, trust me if you do this you will find that your parents see you as a more responsible person and will be more inclined to treat you as an adult allowing you to be more independent in other ways, like going out with friends.
Things to ask your parents to do…..
Take a step back and let you do this. They will be tempted to take over or just do it for you, ask that they leave you to it.
Remember what it was like for them as a teenager… did they have similar struggles with their parents.
Don’t make it personal, having an untidy room should not lead to days of the silent treatment, name calling, nor does it mean you are a bad person.
Do you have any tips for keeping your room tidy you can share with us?