Articles by Tracey DornellesSome of us are more naturally tidy than others and before I had kids I would say that I fell into the “Not so naturally tidy category” and that’s putting it nicely. But when you become a Mum you either learn quick smart of life just becomes chaos.
Those that find their organizational skills are not their specialty find they are usually the more creative and emotional types, those that use their right of the brain more often. But it’s also that they were probably not taught to be organised.
It’s funny though because my Mum was SUPER Orgainsed! I mean the towels were colour coded in the closet and cans of food lined up in the pantry. So how did I become the complete opposite – well actually my mum was so organised that she ended up just doing everything for us and not really passing those skills on properly. In her mind she just couldn’t understand why everyone wasn’t this organised.
On the other hand if your parents were totally disorganized you may have learnt this from them. But don’t go blaming them just yet, because now that you have recognized this in yourself you can change and help your children learn the art of organization from a young age.
STEP 1: Break it down
Like anything else in life, if you break the tasks down into easier/smaller chores then kids are more likely to do what you ask. Let’s take the “Clean Your Room” task. For a kid that’s a really big deal, so instead start by saying “pick up the toys and put them in the box”, then ask them to “clear the clothes off the bed and put them in the laundry basket”.
STEP 2: Kids (and Mums) Need Routine
Once you start doing something enough times it starts to become habit, so that’s what you need to start doing. After they have breakfast and get ready tidy up together. Do the same sort of thing after lunch and before they have a bath. You may have to entice them with rewards or you could take away things privileges like TV etc. It may take some persistence on your part, but you’ll be a much happier mum in the long run, so just keep that in mind.
STEP 3: Labels and Codes
Labeling and colour coding things is a good way to make it easier for young minds to remember where things go. Perhaps all the books go in the GREEN box or teddies go in the basket with the RED label. This also means they don’t have to think too hard and they can’t give you any excuses!
STEP 4: Make THEM do it!
One of the big mistakes my mum made was just cleaning my room for me. She was quite house proud, so probably just liked doing herself to make it perfect, but I’m sure most of you don’t have the luxury of having the time to make the house like a showroom each day. Don’t get me wrong I loved it when she did it, but it didn’t help teach me any good habits. It’s only since becoming a mum myself that I realise it’s much easier to be organised than having to do BIG tidy-ups all the time, so encourage them, but just don’t do it for them.
STEP 5: Kids follow what you DO, not what you SAY
It’s funny what kids imitate even when you don’t realise you are even teaching them. When my daughter was only 7 months old, she started rubbing the floor with a wipe. I was so surprised, but when I thought about it I realised I’m ALWAYS doing that. So be clean and tidy and make it fun and your kids will follow suit.