How do you get your kids to pick up after themselves? In my house it was always a battle. Hailey seemed to think that I was put on this earth to pick up after her. Nothing I tried worked, I begged, threatened, even threw toys away when she wasn’t looking. Still the floor was a Barbie minefield.
Recently I saw the bin in the picture above on Pinterest. The idea behind it is if Mom has to do your chore by picking up your toys, then you have to do a chore for Mom to get them back. Now, we are not talking child labor here, after all, no one loves Barbie enough to clean and organize the garage. These are just little chores that are not part of the child’s normal responsibilities, things like emptying the bathroom trash can and feeding the dog.
I thought it was a great idea. Then I read the comments. Boy were some people very mad and very judgmental. The comments ranged from accusing the mother of stealing her child’s toys and holding them for random, right up to child abuse. Really? Taking a toy away, that the child has been reminded to pick up, is child abuse? I wonder what they would think if they knew I threw Hailey’s toys away if she didn’t pick them up?
I think most parents have tried everything to get the kids to help around the house, and that starts with taking responsibility for your belongings. From the time Hailey was little I tried to instill in her that clean up was a part of play, if you pull a toy out, then you are responsible for putting it back.
The picture is gone from Pinterest, I guess the originator got tired of everyone attacking her. I thought it was a good idea. Anything that helps kids remember to do what is asked of them, is a good thing. Actions have consequences, it’s best that kids learn that at home.