Neat Kids: Do They Exist?

How long did it take you to get your child to pick up his or her toys and clothes? I can honestly say I don't know, because I don't remember my son ever doing it--with toys, at least. When he got older, he started cleaning up his room if he knew guests were coming, especially guests he liked.

Books and articles always make it sound as though you have infinite time and patience, which the writers are paid to ha, whatever--patience and time are at a premium, baby.

I remember a play date with a friend and she said her daughter had to pick up all the toys she played with afterwards, meaning my son did too. This ought to be good, I thought, but luckily when my friend's daughter started putting away toys, my son did too, in sympathy. Maybe he thought it was a new game?

He never did want to play that game at home, and though he had numerous wonderful qualities, being neat was never one of them. We also ended up cleaning his salamander's cage for the entire existence of this pet and socks were to be found in every corner of our home. I sometimes thought of them as some sort of abstract art--though none were even close to suitable for museum displays.

In junior high, I began to apprehend a real philosophy around the idea of cleaning up versus letting things lie. Before my son went to college, he got a questionnaire designed to come up with a roommate assignment. His response to the question about neatness involved waiting until the end of the each week to clean up.

I was pleased he at least included the words "clean up" in his response.

Are some people naturally neat and others, not so much? Are we just who we are, without any real ability to be taught or changed? I used to think nurture was a lot more important than nature, but after having been a mom for a while, I am coming round to the other point of view. I have been told by other parents that some of their kids are just better at being neat than others.

What happens to those others in terms of relationships, marriages, and their own children? I'm about to find out, I think, though I haven't ventured to ask, but he says he's happy and... that's good enough for me.

Meanwhile, if you have any real parenting tips about getting your kids to pick up after themselves, don't hesitate to share them here! I promise--I'm all ears.

For a few articles by the infinitely patient/perfect writers referred to above (do they even really exist)? try the list below:

How to Get Your Kids to Clean Up After Themselves
8 Ways to Get Your Kids to Start Cleaning Up After Themselves
3 Tricks for Getting Your Children to Clean Up After Themselves

I know. *Sigh*

Whatever.


Wild Things creature: Nadya Peek

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