to throw the the kids toys away out of the conservatory and turn it into a dinning room?

[workshy]

have used the conservatory as a play room for the last 5 years and it's a tip

I am forever nagging at them to tidy up, not leave cups and plates in there etc etc (they are 8 & 10) there are dvds out of boxes, pens everywhere, it's a bomb site!

day off today so I took it upon myself to clean up and I have thrown away bin bags of rubbish, found 6 dirty socks, a cardigan and a towel, there is orange peel shoved down the sofa etc etc

AIBU to tell them they have lost the room as a 'kid space' and turn it into a grouwn up room which is the long term plan anyway?

grr kids!

Can it not be muti functional

I would! They can play in their bedrooms. I generally only keep toys downstairs until age 4ish, then there's one single box for a couple of years downstairs then none apart from make and do in the cupboard!

Do it, they can play in their rooms!

it's not huge so it's one or the other really

they have their own bedrooms which I can sut the door on and they can be a grotty as they like but I have to be in the conservatory so I resent them disrespecting it

Yes we only have bord games downstairs over the age of about 5 they should really be able to play in their room no harm in useing a baby monitor if you want to make sure they ok

I would tell them that's the last time you clean that room next time it gets that bad you will get rid of the toys and they can't play there. Which probably means in a week you will be able to claim it back!

They're 8 and 10 so it's not a bad time to reassess how you use the space. When they were 3 and 5 you needed to have them playing nearby. By 8 and 10 the toys are smaller and you don't need to watch them as closely.

I'd definitely institute a 'Food is to be eaten at the table' rule after you found their little citrus gift.

Ours was exactly the same for years. It was just awful, but dc's rooms weren't really big enough to play in when they were the age where the toys were bigger and messier, and two dc shared a room anyway which is tight for space.

As soon as they were a bit older though we cleared it out. It's still not the calm tranquil space I hankered after. It's more multi functional and we do have our table there, but it's a hell of a lot better and I don't miss the depressing piles and boxes of toys everywhere. So yes do it!

I was yelling at warning ds yesterday about the perils of keeping bits of old food and drink lying about in his room. He has a habit of not cleaning out his sports bag so his old drinks bottle and decaying half eaten banana are regular offenders.

I said 'You will get horrible things living in your room!'. He mulled that over for a moment, then said 'What, like a giant squid?'

I give up.

YANBU. Claim it back immediately.

( at giant squid)