My son has been driving me nuts since he doesn’t want to clean his room is working on cleaning messes that he makes. Last night at bedtime, I was fed up, the toys that he had played with earlier were scattered all over his floor. Keep in mind, it was a rainy day in Central Florida so…we were confined…inside our home…all day long…which means LOTS of toys…everywhere! You couldn’t even tell he had hardwood floors in his room!
I warned him that if he did not help clean up the mess, I was going to do it and he was not going to like my method. I told him he had a few minutes to start cleaning and then I was coming back to check.
The first inspection was a complete fail. I warned him again and walked out. I returned in a few minutes and he was still playing and not cleaning up. I asked him again and he said “no mommy”.
What did I do? I waltzed into the kitchen and grabbed a trash bag. I returned and started putting his favorite toys inside. I let him know they were all going in the trash!
How did he respond? Well, after the sobbing and screaming he finally got it! I explained that he could have his toys back ONLY if he helped clean up the mess. Guess what? IT WORKED! Everything was put away in the correct locations, he even lined his shoes up in his closet!
Mean tactic? Perhaps. But, he learned a valuable lesson…that his mommy doesn’t mess around! I bet clean-up tonight goes much smoother.