Turn the table on your child's mess...

I LOVE MONDAYS Tip of the Week

It is the complaint of mothers everywhere: "Why can't my child just pick up his/her stuff and put it away after playing with it?" We think, "I'm not picking up crap anymore. I refuse!" But then we do it because we can't stand looking at it. 

Well, I came up with a new system that I'm digging. Instead of nagging my child to put her stuff away, I just pick it up each day and dump it in the door frame of her bedroom, so that 1) she can't ignore it without tripping), 2) it's annoying to her, and 3) it's in her room and not the rest of the house.

I can't say it's taught her yet to put her stuff away when we she's done but I believe that habit will kick in eventually. Most importantly, my frustration and nagging has come way down.