Cleanliness is next to....

....insanity???

Problem: I have three and four year old girls sharing a room. I can't get them to clean it/keep it clean. Every once and a while I declare it a national disaster area and step in and clean it up for them.

My son has been "cleaning" his room since he was one. He is so good at it!! He doesn't keep a perfect room, and lately he has been cheating by putting all his clothes - dirty or not - in the laundry just to have a clean result faster. But... still, it is good for a six year old.

Apparently.....we never really taught the girls how to clean. This baffles me as I'm sure I have spent hundreds of hours doing just that. But this morning, when I asked the four year old to go back to her room and finish it - she fell on the floor lamenting that she can't!.

I am also baffled that they would prefer to walk on all their toys than to have a beautifully clean spacious floor to play on. Once, I told them that "we do not live like pigs". Know what my daughter said to me??? Guess. That animal lover.... She said "But Mommy, I do want to live like a pig." Hmmph.

There goes that argument. Bribery. Threats. Delayed gratification. Check, check, check.... I can't find anything that is working. I am hanging on by the tip of my fingernails though, because in just a few months they will each have their own room, and I'm hoping their own mess will be more disgusting to them. More motivation to keep it tidy. One can hope!

In the meantime, they have really really learned to play together in their room for hours and hours on end with no TV or movies.... and lots and lots of imagination. That part is a success story for any mom. So, maybe I need to 'chill' about the mess (a little) and be glad for the great memories and bonding time they are having together.

I'll just try to pretend it isn't making me crazy.