DDs 1 and 2 aren't helping to tidy their rooms........

[EasterSparklerEgg]

Have been waiting for the opportunity to start a thread in this topic and now's my chance.
I am feeling really cross right now with dds. They are 7 (8 in June) and 5 1/2. Their bedrooms have been in a right mess for weeks now and it was said that come easter holidays we would be sorting them out. I said to them if they helped me to tidy their rooms they could earn some pocket money for the holidays. Neither of them have helped at all - no matter the offer of pocket money, me asking nicely and even the shouting. I felt like I was going to lose it with them and have just come here to let off some steam.
I've just yelled at them as they didn't want to help me they weren't to expect me to help them later when they needed me to . And if they wanted anything cooked for dinner I wouldn't be doing anything for them - they could have some fruit out of the fruit bowl!! Probably not the best way to handle things but I was feeling really at the time.
I am feeling really hacked off with them right now.

It's Easter, I'd say the Easter Bunny won't be visiting until the bedrooms are tidy!

A friend of mine had this problem and sorted out all of the broken toys and had a bonfire with them in the garden. She just didn't tell the kids that the toys were all old and broken. She let them think that if they didn't tidy their rooms, then ALL of their toys were going on the bonfire.

They had tidy rooms from then on.

Can't you just leave their rooms a tip? I have to say this wouldn't bother me! Not fair to equate tidying rooms to food provision though imo.
So yes, you are being unreasonable imo. Life's too short to get too wound up about trivia like tidy childrens rooms imo.

squonk, thats really clever and mean but if it worked then cool

pour yourself a cup of coffee. tea or juice

get your favourite book or magazine.

sit on the kids bed and tell them no one is going anywhere til its done.

and just chip in with the odd " pick that shirt up"

"pick up spiderman over there"

"wow amazing look how fab you've done"

etc

Custy - does that work with the DH/DP? Just a thought......

DD has come home from school telling me they have a "tidy up song" (after a lot of odd questions it turns out its reel 2 real move it) - you play said song, she tidies. Tis quite freaky.

She is that much younger though so more easily brainwashed

I would say at that age they need a little more direction than "tidy up" - depending on personality and age. My dd2 (aged 8.5) still finds it really hard to "see" the mess without me saying "pick up all the clothes and sort them into clean and dirty, put the dirty ones to wash and the clean ones away, that means folding them up" etc etc. dd1 is naturally tidy and will just get on with it.

You will need to be in there and supervise otherwise they will just grind to a halt. Put some "tidy up" music on - eg pop music with a fast beat, it will keep their adrenaline levels up which will help! Give them specific tasks - eg collect up all the dolls, find all the bits of the jigsaw etc. Give each of the a bin bag/carrier bag for rubbish/broken things. Make sure they have containers/places for everything to go in too, or the job will be just too hard for them. Keep encouraging them with positive comments and constructive hints rather than threatening. Once they are all done, praise them and point out the good things about it being tidy - now they can find everything, they've probably rediscovered things they have lost, there's lots more room to play, etc etc.

I do that custy

Sit on the bed like Queen Muck giving orders.

I thought custy's post said
' pour yourself a cup of coffee. tea or juice

get your favourite book or magazine.

sit on one of the kids and tell

Yesterday I invited a little girl around to play with ds (5.6). In the morning I said "You'd better go and tidy your bedroom because X is coming and she won't want to play in an untidy bedroom". Worked like a charm .

go in with bin bags, put everything in it while they watch, put bin bags in car, say you're off to the tip.

The bedrooms had to be tidied - you couldn't even get in the door without stepping or tripping over something. All the clean clothes were mixed in with the dirty clothes. It just couldn't be left any longer. I told DDs in the end that I was asking them to tidy their rooms that I was telling them to - I switched off the tv and yelled upstairs now! They didn't argue.
Now just had the rest of the house to contend with.
Is it too early for wine?

dd1+2 room was awful. then the other week i got rid of half their toys whilst they were at school. the room is now tidier and easier to manage. we had all got overwhealmed with the clutter in there so i had to do it. they havent actually realised what has gone though.

I clean their room out a couple of times a year. The rest of the time dd1 keeps it immaculate. Dd1 is 7. If she didnt i'd be in there with a black bag every week.

I go through this about 4 times a year. It slowly builds up and up to a point where I have to through it all and sort it out properly. Drives me nuts. Generally the rule is until you've tidied up you don't get your tea, which works fine as a routine. But for the Big clearouts only shouting and screaming and direction seems to work.

Ds is tidy but dd can wreck a room within half an hour with all her drawing stuff, books, toys etc (atleast she's always busy!) but the bin bag trick works with her. If I shake a bag in front of the bedroom she now tidys quickly and neatly! To get to that stage I did have to go in a couple oftimes, bag everything and hide it.

Wait until they are teenagers...