From the Mouths of Babes

One of my preschoolers said the funniest things yesterday coming back from our field trip to get Aggie Ice Cream. He said, "that ice cream is going to make me go to the bathroom again. It would be so Romantic." I am positive he has no idea what the work "Romantic" means. lol

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Saturday, February 20, 2010

Bedroom Battles

This next question, or I suppose dilemma even, comes from my sister who has an 8 year old and a 6 year old.  They share a bedroom upstairs, and most of their toys are there as well.  After several half attempts at cleaning their room, my sister will go up and see the job done sloppily and half way. She is wondering what to do to get them to clean their room right the first time and get the job done when asked.  This is almost one of the biggest battles we have with our kids.  Getting them to do the right things at the right time is the real meaning of "Discipline".  When we teach our children the correct behaviors, we are disciplining them.  The word Discipline actually means, "To Teach".  So, look at it like this.  We want to teach (discipline) our children to clean their room right the first time and to do it when we ask them to, without having to ask, repeat, or yell 50 times.  So, I suggest first, which I am sure she has already done (only because we grew up with same mother), to take the girls to their room after they have given you this sloppy performance.  Pull everything out of their drawers, from under their bed, out of the toy closet, everything! and put it all in the middle of the room.  Then, help them put everything back in its right place in the right way, by telling them and maybe even showing them how you expect it.  Once everything is in its place and the room is clean, here is your dialogue.  "Now, you have been shown the expectation.  You know what is expected of you and how I want to see your room cleaned from this point on.  We will make a list of rewards for every time you clean your room right the first time.  If you clean it sloppy or half way, I will be pulling everything out, even if it is something that wasn't messy, and putting it all in the middle of the floor and you will be doing it all over again. You will be losing valuable play time and will be sad.  You will not leave your room, for food or anything else, until you have finished the job."
As far as getting them to clean their room the first time you ask them to, here are some ideas.
1. Give them a set time of the day that they need to have it done.  Maybe they do it every night before going to bed, or every morning before going to school.  But, it always helps kids to have it be part of their routine.
2. Set up the jar system.  Tell them that for every time they clean their room, whether because of their routine or because you asked them to, you will place a type of candy in a jar.  When the jar is full, the family celebrates by eating the candy, or by going on some family outing. However, when they do not clean their room by the expected time, you take one out of the jar.  Make the reward super fun and exciting.  Allow them to be a part of the decision-making process on the reward, and it will be more meaningful to them.
Bottom line, we want our children to learn that a job worth doing is a job worth doing right.  We want them to do it right the first time and do it when they are asked to.  Can you imagine going to a job and being given an assignment and telling your boss, "In a minute."?  No, and we don't want lazy kids!

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