Helping Your Kids Live With Messy Siblings by Cheryl S. Carter

Sometimes as parents we think we have all the answers. This simply isn’t true. This month I wanted to share a segment from a book my kid wrote a few years ago. This particular issue is sharing a room with a messy brother or sister. After you read the article, you might want to share it with your kids

Your room would probably be neater if you didn’t have messy siblings. So, here are two things you can do. 1 - Beg your parents to make your siblings live in the basement or garage. 2 -Cooperate with your siblings.

Well, let’s focus on solution number two for now. Cooperate. Cooperate basically means to work together on one accord. This method takes a bit of patience.

First keep a record of what she drops and hw many times she drops it. At this point do not tell her what you are doing. Just keep records for a few days. Then go and talk with her after you have collected your data. Be certain you go with the right attitude. Be ready to really help her- do not criticize her for being messy. Your data should be used to come up with a solution. It should help you both figure out why things keep ending up on the floor. Attitude is everything here!

Share your list with your sister. Ask her if she has a place for the things that keep ending up on the floor. If she has a place and she is just rushing around all the time suggest she put “organize your room” time in her daily schedule.

Convincing her to change her schedule may be difficult. She might not want to clean every day, but if you can convince her to try it for just two weeks you’re in a good position. Since she will see the result of a neater room after picking up daily, she may really want to cooperate with you. No one likes a sloppy room not even messy people.

Once she agrees you can both clean the room together. This will also get her attention as she sees that you want to cooperate with her too. You can form the clean-your-room team. Throw out what you do not need. Get a big trash bag and try to throw out as many things as possible. Throw out old and broken toys. Games are also useless if you are missing pieces.

Make a place for the things she keeps dropping on the floor. I think you should be fair in room space. I am not saying give her all space but try to think of ways to compromise. Compromise is one lesson everyone has to learn sooner or later.

Note:
This article is excerpted from A Kid’s Guide to Organizing by Jarrett, Janae and Jolene Carter. It is full of practical ideas. It is available from most popular online and brick and mortar bookstores. Parents and kids can visit http://www.add123.org for more information