To expect my 5 and 7 years olds to keep their rooms less like a bombsize and more like a regular kids room?

[NAB3lovelychildren]

I have got to the stage of telling them their floors are a hazard if we needed to get out of the house quickly but I wonder if I expect too much from them, (7.10, 5.5 and 3.7)

YABU.If you expect them to tidy by themselves. They all can be taught to get one or two toys out at a time and then put them away when they have finished with them. But they will need help to get started.

I long for a naturally tidy child

Or a naturally tidy DP.

We just about keep a lid on the chaos by having a Saturday Morning Tidy. Supervised - my oldest, 8, is the worst and just doesn't do a thing if not supervised. She's dreamy and messy. Dreadful.

And pocket money (and other weekend treats such as going swimming or to parties) are contingent on it being done, with a good grace.

They are getting better, very slowly.

I help my dds do theirs, at half term only. Stops me from whinging at them constantly to sort it out.

I often wonder this, my 2 are the same. I have lots of boxes for their toys and when they do tidy up (after much nagging) they sling everything in these BUT they don't put stuff where it should be.[hmm} So I end up having abig sort out.

Thanks mumeeee I am not expecting them to do it themselves - just not to watch me do it!

I don;t think you are expeting too much TBH. DD is 6y and no way would I allow her room to get into a real state. Yes when she is playing it can become a real mess - but she nows well enough now that she HAS to tidy once she is finished. Definitely done every day and never left. All her stuff has a home either in her room or the spare room (which she also uses as a play room a fair bit) - lots of storage boxes of differing sizes, book shelves, place for CDs, desk, etc. The boxes each contain different items/collections (eg one for Polly Pocket, one for princess castle stuff, a couple for Sylvanian family, boxes for dress up, boxes for craft, etc.) - it makes tidying quicker.

I als expect visiting children to tidy up at the end of a playdate too - I give them 10 minutes warning of the time their parents are due. They all chip in and do their bit.

If for some reason it does get in a mess and a friend has to leave early or DD really does need a hand, I do help. But I never do it just me.

DD's mess = DD tidies.DD's room = her responsibility. So if a friend she is playing with messes it up, DD sorts.

I feel I have provided plenty of boxes, drawers, etc for things to be put away in but they don't even try very hard to put things in the proper place and then complain when they can't find stuff. I try and explain that is why things have a specific home but......

Housefairy?On Flylady website-good for a laugh if nothing else!

Hmm- I tend to stand in the middle of the maelstrom barking out orders- "dd1- put this there! dd2- pick up those xxx and put them in the drawer" etc etc!

Actually I don't agree with saying you must only play with one toy at a time. I prefer them to be imaginative with their toys. For instance DS will play with little people, duplo and brio all at once. He likes to build towers (buildings) to go next to the train track and use the little people as passengers and send the train to the fun fair, park, race track etc.

Are you a naturally tidy person? I think children often follow what they see elsewhere in the house.

I am a very obsessive "everything in its place" person and I have high expectations for tidynessin my children. My ds1 and ds2 (7 and 4) share a room and it is never a bombsite - I just would not allow it. They have always had to tidy up each day from young (with help from us when they were little). Now they are expected to do it themselves at the end of each day. However, I do not wait for the end of the day or it would be too much and too overwhelming. Periodically through the day, at the right moment, i will ask them to tidy. Usually something like - "We are going to the library in 10 minutes, put those toys away before you go".

Good storage is key. Everything has its place and those places are labeled and I expect things to be put in the right place. That said, about once a month I need to go through trays and boxes and sort out things that are in the wrong place.

I NEVER let them have board games out more than one at a time. We have loads as we love playing them, but if one piece goes missing, that game is as good as useless (we have seen this often at friend's houses).

Oh, and they get 10 pence a night for tidying up