the dirty grubby habits of teenagers

[azA99]

I am relieved to read people's accounts of their daughters having poor personal hygiene. Mine have got a lot better but this was quite alarming to me for a while as I wasn't expecting it! I don't find myself giving reminders to wash, for example, anymore, but I certainly did. There's something really confusing about the combination of obsessing over appearance and yet not bothering to clean teeth or put things in the bin!

But I wanted to start a conversation just to marvel at the squalor.

I'll start with a mild one: cotton wool and towels covered in make up, everywhere. And just litter, everywhere. Litter under the bed. This one has also got better in our home so I am beginning to see the humour in it, but at times it has felt like burglars or a kind of assault on the home!

S using items of clothing to clean up after doing what boys do best in their bedrooms. Found a sock mountain behind his desk. I wondered why he was so short of them !!!

This thread has really cheered me up. I have also been fighting the sock mountain underneath the bed, jammed up against the wall in a really hard to reach place, partly obstructed by cups, bottles, wrappers etc!

I wont talk about the rest of it but very similar to what everyone else has written!

If any of you have friends whose children were a few years older did you think what I did when they told stories about things left/found in bedrooms. In general I am pretty much non judgmental but I thought that teenager must be disgusting and how could my friend let that happen!!! Fast forward a few years!!!

DD2 (12) has finally discovered the dirty linen bin. Seems at the end of the week, the remains of her floordrobe regularly finds its way into there - far easier than folding or hanging up lol.
Not only has the amount of washing doubled, I am coincidentally finding panty liners in the washing machine. Obviously one to stop before her periods start. I check pockets, but not underwear!

I hope that your toilet is not positioned next to the bath circular. Be warned, the bath starts to become a convenient bin when periods start. Am working very hard to knock that one on the head. Ugh.

When DS 17 went away at Christmas with his Dad I did a full clean/tidy up in his room.

Bravely pulled everything out from under the bed, usual stuff, food wrappers, tissues, socks, empty condom packets....I think I filled at least one bin liner. Found crockery and cutlery. Numerous aftershave etc. Threw away some of his school books from years 7 to 10.

I thought the room looked much nicer, tidier and smelt better too. He was furious.

With DD 13, she is obsessive about washing, she spends hours getting ready, washing her hair, brushing her teeth. She is very proud when the dentist tells her that her teeth are immaculate. Wants nice clothes and spends her money on clothes and lovely smelly stuff from Lush. Her personal care is great, has little bags to dispose of her sanitary towels in the bin.

Though then she throws everything on the floor, her nice clothes mixed up with smelly riding boots and jodhpurs, jeans with pants still in turned inside out. Can not see the floor. Maddening. She has a desk for school study and a dressing table, both end up covered in make up, chocolate, hair stuff and usually some of my make up.

Dd13 also guilty of most of these things .. used make up wipes left on the floor, pants inside trousers or tights, would wear the same school shirt all week if I didn't scoop it up off the bathroom floor (!) every night and put it in the wash. Same about hair - doesn't worry about it looking greasy but will straighten it to within an inch of its life! Either that our she'll leave the house looking like she just got out of bed. Clothes are all on the floor or down the side of the bed, bedside table full of dirty mugs, lumps of old chewing gum! , peel from satsumas .. sticky and dirty. Dressing table too full of makeup, perfume and assorted rubbish to be used.

Littleham I'm afraid it is. Although there is a bin in here too, so we can but hope. That sounds an awful habit to break, good luck with that.