Your children are watching

RANSACKED, or at least turned upside down….that’s what I thought when I looked into our teenage daughter’s bedroom.

My solution……..keep her door closed.

I’m a PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZER who helps clients declutter their homes. I know, it doesn’t make any sense.

We wanted to give her some autonomy with her space.

Here’s what I could control.

My own habits and routines. The behavior I modeled and hoped she would adopt as she evolved into an independent adult.

I taught her how to operate a washing machine, insisted she clean the bathroom she used, and absolutely no lingering FOOD or DIRTY nasty dishes in her room because of vermin.

We modeled regular clutter clearing, donating things we no longer used, keeping up with paperwork and maintaining a clean, but certainly not a perfect, home.

YOUR CHILDREN are WATCHING you.

If you insist your children keep tidy bedrooms make sure your OWN bedroom is in good order.

Did you make your bed?

Are your dirty clothes in the laundry?

Our kids are paying attention. They notice when there’s a contradiction between our words and actions, making our words insincere.

I’m not claiming this will ensure you have organized and tidy offspring. They are who they are and beautifully unique humans.  But I do believe that your actions are more influential than your words and in the long run will help them acquire better habits and routines.

UPDATE: Our daughter is now 25, living in her own tiny studio apartment. She maintains a well-organized apartment despite its small size. She can find what she’s looking for, regularly donates or resells clothing and cleans up after herself and her cat without anyone asking her to do so.

Parents, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.