How My Kids Changed My Room
When I was preparing to get married, I painted my room by myself, “designed” the furnitures with hubby, bought all the bedsheets, curtains, toilet accessories & etc after “carefully” thought about the designs and colours, hanged our pictures at the nicest spots and made sure the room is as pretty as it can be within our budget.
But once Justin and Isabelle are born, I can’t make the room back to its original state. There’re 2 tier drawers for their clothes, a playpen (or cot but moved downstairs already), 2 single mattresses on the floor, children books scattered around, toys placed randomly, and endless handkerchiefs, diapers, nappies everywhere!
My maid helps me to clean the room every morning, but when Justin goes in the room right after she finishes, it’s back to square one: MESSY again! Sometimes he helps me to keep his toys and put them back at the bags or drawers I’ve prepared for him, but most of the time, he enjoys lying them around everywhere.
I read from an article saying that it’s good for children to place their things wherever they like as it helps them to remember the place where they have placed them. It’s better for adults not to interfere with this behaviour or judge them with our orderly way of placing things. I’m not sure how true the article is but I sometimes stop picking up things because I’m too lazy to repeat the same routine again and again. But I’ll put the things back after he’s asleep, as I’m afraid that we’ll trip over them in the middle of the night.
I think my room will be messer when Isabelle grows up in a few months. Oh boy, if I have extra rooms at home, I hope they can have their own rooms and mess up their rooms while leaving mine as neat as possible. But that will only happen after a few more years.
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May 24th, 2006 at 12:52 am
yehyeh…I can understand…I have changed the layout of my master room twice already ever since the arrival of Trenyce, each time with a bigger item! First time to include the babycot and 2nd time to replace the cot with the toddler bed. Her things now occupied most of the storage place than any of us! She also doesnt pack her toys after playing and leave it scattered around the hall. I dont mind the house a little messy if it doesnt cause accidents but the thing is she always step onto her toys (almost everytime) Not really painful becos its a minor fall but she will “manja” the adults after that:p I will usually do the tidying when she run away to busy with something else that attracts her…
May 24th, 2006 at 12:58 am
I have Hurricane Zara at home too.. Every where she goes and touches, will be messy as though a hurricane has just swept through.
Nowadays, I’m trying to teach her how to clean up, but she’s smart.. she said, “Don’t want.” When I asked her if Zara doesn’t clean up, who will, she’ll reply, “Kakak”
May 24th, 2006 at 12:58 am
Haha… luckily all Ivan’s toys are in the hall… and my room totally limited spaces, s no room for anything extra, it’s already as messy as can be.
I also wish that soon the kids can have their own room, as soon as Ivan grows a lil bigger… (maybe by then I’ll miss having him around)
May 24th, 2006 at 1:14 am
Same as Sue. My room is too small for toys so the mess is in the hall. In the hall, I have 4 small drawers for their toys. They know how to get their own things from there and put them back when told to do so. Otherwise, I just pick up by going around with their toy bucket and dumping everything there before putting them in the toy drawers or toy box.
May 24th, 2006 at 1:41 am
I trained Adrian to tidy up his toys after played, put back the books from where he took, whenever he look for toys he will go to our 3rd room which I place all his toys there, to the book rack to find his favourite books.
Both of my kids sleep with my maid in 2nd room (tatami style), no toys inside only bed’s stuff, hence they will learn the place and being tidy mah…and my room still my room
May 24th, 2006 at 2:18 am
I still keep my stuff everywhere… but I remember where I put them
May 24th, 2006 at 5:40 am
It is the best that children have their own corner, so that adults can relief abit. Esp, their own room, once messy, close door.
May 24th, 2006 at 7:04 am
Haha, i understand your situation and i think most of the families are facing the same. You better than me at least you have your maid, i have to clean up myself daily.
May 24th, 2006 at 9:36 pm
Mdm2359, that’s what I worried too, accidents happen! My MIL tripped over my nephew’s toy and broke her wrist when she’s trying to support her body. So bette be careful than sorry.
Sue, same thing in the hall. But since it’s bigger, I can “ignore” it, ha!
Zara’s mama, your girl’s smart, knows kakak will clean up later. I don’t let Justin has this habit, afraid that he might become bossy and buli the maid when he grows up. But that can’t be help, kids knows what’s kakak’s jobs are, and will hope that kakak helps them to clean up the mess.
MG, you trained them well. Justin will clean up sometimes, depends on his mood. Maybe I should get some more drawers for him to store his toys, but my room doesn’t have enough space already. He prefers to have the toys in the room as he likes playing them with daddy, who only comes back late. If daddy comes back early, they’ll play outside, so not much toys in the hall.
Rachel, wow, with 2 kids can still maintain the room? You let your kids sleep with the maid, you must have a good one then. I’m the “worried too much” type, dare not let my kids sleep with her, and only let her do the houseworks.
Egghead, that means the article is true huh? What about Luke? Like you too?
Minnie, agree with you. But I’m staying with in-laws, rooms are limited. Wait until I get my own place first, then I’ll have back my room, yippie!
BTW, welcome to my blog.
Hui Sia, if no maid, I think I’ll be screaming around the whole day asking him to tidy up! Have to start training him to be orderly now, if not things will get worse later on.