Countdown to a Relaxed Holiday: Day 29 Mess Makers

Do your kids do chores? When did they start? And how did you start them off?

This is an area where I’m lacking in parenting skill. I’ve gotten the point where I’m starting to not buy my children any toys that have parts because I’m so sick of picking them up all the time! And I don’t want to be a parent who just tosses everything into the garbage – which apparently my own parents did… my father recently admitted this to me, when I remarked that my own toys always seem to have parts that disappeared, while my children’s small toys ended up buried in the couch.

For the life of me, I cannot motivate my children to pick up their toys. Make a bed? Sure! Put away silverware! They fight over that little chore. Put a toy back into it’s bin or shelf? Not for a million dollars. Or chocolate candy. I’d post a photo of my daughter’s room, but it’s so embarrassing that I just can’t bring myself to admit that it looks like the disaster that it is. I know that I need to tackle it, but the thought that I will have nearly the same level of mess in less than 4 hours makes me want to cry.

And, I am becoming obsessed with the thought of all the holiday toys coming into the house. How many parts will all those toys have? How do I keep them together? How do I get my children to pick them up without me nagging, screaming, crying? Should I just give up and only allow stuffed animals and naked dolls into the house?

Today, the kids are getting their own routine chore charts. We’ve got to start somewhere!

I found printable charts with current cartoon characters here.