conuly: (Default)
conuly ([personal profile] conuly) wrote in [community profile] agonyaunt 2024-05-02 11:55 pm (UTC)

When the niblings were in middle school and being homeschooled, I hung around on a homeschooling-and-afterschooling forum where they had a phrase they threw around like candy: don't expect what you won't inspect.

Which is to say, if you want the room to be clean you have to get in there every day and take a look around and tell your child that the dirty clothes go in the hamper, the makeup goes on top of the dresser, the clean clothes go in the drawers, and so on, and also, that she needs to take a shower or at least clean under her arms. (The deodorant habit seems to be particularly hard to develop. Sometimes I see people elsewhere freaking out over their too-young-to-stink kids wanting to put on deodorant "like grown-ups", and guys, don't freak out, encourage it. The sooner that habit starts, the more secure it is by middle school!) You don't pretend to yourself that you have some other child than the one you actually have, one that is magically tidy at the age of eleven.

Alternatively, if you're not willing to do this every single day you go with option two - shut the door!

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