To bag up all their sodding toys and the bastard Xbox and put them in the garage?

[SmiteYouWithThunderbolts]

TWELVE times today I have asked, told, begged, shouted at my children to tidy their playroom. All they've done is throw a few cursory items into a box then go straight back to moaning and whinging, fighting with each other and telling me how unfair I am for making them tidy their own crap instead of doing it for them.

I am currently resting my leg after tearing a ligament in my knee (ouch) so can't scrabble round on their floor clearing away their toys. They know I'm in pain, but not that's not the point IMO. I refuse to raise lazy, entitled little sods who expect me to be their maid. They're 8, 7 and 4 btw. I don't expect 15 month old dc4 to do much but ironically he seems to have done the most putting away so far!

They've been warned that if they don't get on with the tidying tout de suite, everything will go in bags in the garage. Including their beloved Xbox.

AIBU? Am I fighting a losing battle?!

Don't beg your children, especially at that age, just don't. Tell them calmly that it's going to happen. I would get your 8 yr old aside and ask him/her to help you with the task of getting the room clear by organising the others.

You don't want to be begging all 4 in the future when they're bigger, louder and more likely to argue back. Don't bag the stuff, but don't let them use anything in the room until it's clear. It's your room, your toys and your x-box.

Euphemia - tidying before bedtime just never seems to happen. It was actually impossible for them to play in there today because the toys were all out of the boxes, spread all over the floor. Hence the need to clear it up asap.

Preferthedogtothekids (excellent nn btw) - I knew I'd lost the battle when I got to the begging stage. At least I resisted the urge to bribe them!

I think the secret is fewer toys but I would cull them quietly (stuff you see they don't play with) or with incentive (they get to keep half of what they sell for at a carboot sale).

Yes yes yes to Less Toys.

There's a thread called m on Good Housekeeping that is very inspiring if you fancy a toy cull :o

Since joining I have started reducing all the stuff in our house (I've had to go slowly due to health, otherwise I would've just done it over an intense weekend) and it's making a huge difference already. Not just in the sense that less stuff = less to tidy, but also in their play - they are much calmer and happier and really seem to get much more out of the toys they still have.

Tell them once. Calmly but firmly. Warn them you will be removing the wii and other names items in one hour if it isn't done. One hour later remove said items if rooms not tidy. Do not return till rooms are tidy. If they still don't clean, withhold lunch or tea until its done.

They did it! They actually tidied the damn room.

We had a massive toy cull a couple of months ago when we moved. They had somewhere in the region of 7 boxes of plastic tat toys which we cut back to 3. It's the bloody bastard painful when you stand on them Matchbox toy cars that get everywhere and drive me potty.

less stuff = less to tidy, but also in their play - they are much calmer and happier and really seem to get much more out of the toys they still have.

Definitely agree on this. They've been much calmer and happier with their toys now they're not so overwhelmed by them.

Let's see how long the lovely tidy play room lasts!

Only just seen this update - that's great! I still have a long way to go on our decluttering but I am glad it's having a positive effect.