This is a sponsored post written on behalf of Swiffer. All opinions are 100% my own.
I admit that I can not be a fun mommy at times.
Messes make me crazy!
I like order and cleanliness.
It’s not that I don’t want to be a cool and hip mom because I really want to be the coolest mom on the block. I want to be the house that all the neighborhood kids come to because our house is so darn fun.
But in the past, I’ve dreaded and have declined my kids having friends over at times due to the dread of them making a huge mess.
In all honesty, it’s not fair to my children that their mom is a neat fanatic. Honestly I have come a long way over the years, but I still have a few issues that I’m working on.
I’ve been pondering my selfish secret over the years and decided that some changes need to take place besides just in my own heart.
I had the most wonderful opportunity to visit with Sarah Michele Gellar at a Swiffer campaign last month in New York City. She’s a busy of mom of 3 children and she was stressing, “Say YES to the Mess!” Sarah Michele believes that cleaning up is a huge part of making-the-mess process when it comes to our children. However, we must provide the tools and train our children to clean up their messes properly.
Whether the mess is accidental or created from an engaging messy project, all children should be required to clean up their own messes, even as young as their toddler years.
This is real life.
I believe that if we don’t teach our children how to clean up their own messes, we are doing them a disservice for their future.
And I have been guilty of this over the years.
Swiffer products make it so easy for even the young child to adequately clean. My children are required to dust their own room weekly with the Swiffer duster
My daughter and son literally fight over the Swiffer WetJet
Hey, no judging now!
I just let my kids make cupcakes because I’m so cool. They know that I will say no the next time to any requested projects or activities if they don’t clean up their own mess after they are finished with their project.
Yes, I’m mean like that!
So the secret to getting my kids to clean up their own messes are the following:
- Provide your children with easy, but effective tools that are FUN to clean with as needed
- Teach your children how to use the cleaning tools
- Be diligent about saying yes to the mess as long as they have cleaned up their last mess adequately to your standards.
These 3 secrets have made a huge difference in my outlook on saying yes to the mess with messy projects. Thank you Swiffer for making effective, but totally cool cleaning tools that all kids love.
I’m in love with you, too, Swiffer!
How do you get your kids to clean up their own messes, or is it still an issue at your house?
Buffy the vampire slayer. I used to watch that show. Anyways, kids should clean up after themselves. If you teach that at a young age, it’ll stick.
If you make it fun. They’ll gladly clean up.
Great post! Thanks so much for sharing. Have a lovely day 🙂
I like to remind my kids to clean up after themselves because Im not their servant.
Growing up, it was just expected that we cleaned up after ourselves. If we didn’t, we didn’t go outside, The parents were a bit too strict but we didn’t leave a mess.
I applaud Moms who teach kids to clean. I remember years ago working with a young adult who we asked to vacuum. She just looked at the vacuum and then asked can you show me how a vacuum works? She had never cleaned in her life. Her family had a housekeeper and was never taught even how to dust.
You are so right that it is important to teach kids how to clean up after themselves and we can help them get started by providing the right tools.
You’ve got some very creative ideas here ,this teaches responsibility too.
It seems like things have changed so much. Like parents feel bad about having their children do things around the house. Yes, I’m showing my age. But, when I was growing up we did what we were told.
I use swiffer pads daily. They’re great for getting hard to reach spots, like under the furniture.
This reminds me of the trick I read about years ago. Gets to do a chore by pretending that it’s fun.
My guys always enjoyed cleaning ,I rewarded well for each chore completed
With my oldest she was “bribed” with having “Friday Friends” come over to play if she did her chores. My youngest was a little more difficult, she preferred books and movies. In the end we managed. Thanks for sharing.
With kids, the younger you teach them, the better. Raise them with good habits and they stick.
Thanks for sharing. Our kids are grown now. I remember them days.
It shouldn’t be an issue. Kids should clean up after themselves and help out because they’re part of the family.
I think kids should earn a weekly allowance at a certain age. Maybe get a bit extra if they do more than they’re regular chores.
Cleaning is a chore because it’s not fun. I would have the kids do age appropriate tasks.
Nobody is a fun parent all the time. When the kids were young, they were given chores. They hated me for it, I’m sure. But you have to learn how to do things.
I’m trying to get my husband to clean up his own messes. Any ideas?
Start early when it’s fun to do things that makes mommy smile. Everybody’s happy!
Never feel guilty about giving kids chores to do. They’re part of the family. They contribute to the mess, they should help clean it up.
This is a challenge. Kids will take responsibility if you make it fun and easy to clean a mess.
Send them over to my house. It needs to be cleaned up!
Fun tools always help to keep the house cleaner. Swiffers are great for maintaining floors in between cleanings.