Clean Rooms

I have a thing about having a picked up house. I don't always get around to dusting or mopping the floors or washing the patio doors that constantly have little finger print marks all over it, but before naps and beds the rule has been to pick up toys and shoes and clothes.

I think I enjoyed about 2 months of the kids liking to pick up their toys. About the time they hit about 18 months to 2 years and they feel so big when they get to help mommy and daddy.

I guess I never realized that time period was so short. I thought we would definitely be in the teen years before they became physically ill when asked to clean. It never fails, the stomachs start hurting, they become so exhausted they can't move or they just feel so bad.

My responses usually go something like this:

• If you're stomach hurts so bad then it really isn't a good idea to eat dessert. 
• If you're so tired then I can pick your toys up, but you can go straight to bed so you can feel rested for tomorrow.
• If you feel so bad lets not have a snack and you can go ahead and go to bed because mommy doesn't want you to get really sick.

All of these responses are followed by sometimes crying and emphatic reassurances that they are just fine. Funny how that works.

The other night I told Haven it was time to pick up toys and get ready for bed. She once again was taking an extremely long time to do it. So, I finally pulled her out of her room and gave her a time limit for when all toys needed to be picked up or she was going to have taken away anything that was not put up.

She finished well before time was up so when I go in to inspect the room this is what I found.

Everything was thrown either in her closet or on her bed. If this is how we do it now what do I have to look forward to when she becomes a teenager? I will give her credit, the floor of her bedroom was spotless.