Slobby Teenagers

[Wabbitdad12]

I have three great kids, two boys 19 & 15 and a daughter 13. Good in school, well mannered, but at home the are extremely slobby.

I and my wife are at wits end. We have tried taking away privaleges, using charts, leaving notes etc. When we talk to them its sorry I forgot, I'll try and do better and other normal excuses.

Any ideas that you have used that were successful in getting slobby teenagers to help out and pick up after themselves?

Thanks

 

[Bo B Bunny]

It must be in the air! I just did a bunch of deep cleaning in the livingroom here. Vacuuming behind the entertainment centers, moving chairs and stuff and cleaning carpet. Today I walk into the room and find a cup with condensation on top of the entertainment center, trash, pens and pencils, eye drops, keys, wallet, and candy......

My 16 year old son! :X

My kids are slobs too and I am fed up. They want to show animals and all that but can't pick up if I ask, forget chores, etc.

Now, Lexi is better most of the time but she too can be a pig!

let me know if you find something that works...... I've been through all the same things.....

 

[Bassetluv]

My guy is 25 now, and nope...I never was able to talk, threaten, coerce, or bribe him into cleaning up after himself. It was a constant battle of:

"your clothes don't go on the bedroom floor...they go in your dresser"

"wash your dirty dishes...or at least put them in the sink"

"where's the tv remote...again?" (it would usually show up a day or two later, firmly wedged deeply inside the sofa)

"can't you put away the food you took out of the fridge?" (on the rare occasions that he made something for himself)

"you can't wear that outside!" (dirty, wrinkled, and/or moth-eaten old t-shirts)

"don't leave uneaten food --- in the livingroom/bathroom/bedroom/under the bed"



And my favorite:



"can't you put the toilet seat UP first?!?" (men might be great at target practice with weapons, but hitting the center of that ceramic bowl...:X)



However, if it's any consolation to you, they do grow out of it...hopefully. My son had to be one of the biggest slobs from the age of...let's see...born...to about 21. Then one night the clean fairy must've touched him with her fairy wand whilst he was sleeping, because he suddenly transformed...and now he wears decent, clean (and non-wrinkled!) clothing, and he takes pride in at least semi-cleaning up after himself.

What were the determining factors for this transmogrification? I'd say...girls...the discovery of the emotion embarrassment...and...girls.

And you have 3 of them, huh? Good luck to you!

(Disclaimer to admit that I was never the best of housekeepers anyway, but I still say he gets it from his dad...even though he never lived with him...)

 

[~Bracon~]

Not all are slobby.... :baghead

 

[cheryl]

Bo B Bunny wrote:

It must be in the air! I just did a bunch of deep cleaning in the livingroom here. Vacuuming behind the entertainment centers, moving chairs and stuff and cleaning carpet. Today I walk into the room and find a cup with condensation on top of the entertainment center, trash, pens and pencils, eye drops, keys, wallet, and candy......

My 16 year old son! :X

My kids are slobs too and I am fed up. They want to show animals and all that but can't pick up if I ask, forget chores, etc.

Now, Lexi is better most of the time but she too can be a pig!

let me know if you find something that works...... I've been through all the same things.....

Ugh...me too!......my eldest son Anthony is 17,and my youngest son Jeremyis almost 12,and they are both the same....my eldest is starting to get better though,but Jeremy can be a pain in the butt,i clean the house from top to bottom every day,and the only time i do not see Jeremy's stuff hanging around the house is when he's at school,and then i'm still guaranteed to find something of his just lying around.

Also here is one example..,Jeremy knows his school bag belongs in the laundry...on the hook... on the wall,he comes home from school...bag just sits on kitchen floor...rabbits start to chew bag....Jeremy..i call..please put your bag where it is supposed to go,the bunnies are starting to eat it....oh..sorry mum..walks of to hang bag up in the laundry.

I then go into the laundry,and i see the bag just sitting on the floor...ugh! it must be hard to reach up just a little *shakes head*

But my boys are just lovely,they have the best manners and are very polite with other people

Cheryl

 

[Leaf]

My parents were strict. If we didnt clean up after ourselves our items were thrown out or donated.

If items were of value they were held onto until we could either buy them back or earn them back.

On severe cases with my brother (who was old enough to work) items were taken to a pawn shop, where he had to earn the money to get them back if he worked hard enough, and valued it enough...

Earning "stuff" put value upon it, and a sense of worth that led to responsibility.



:twocents

 

[pamnock]

I get them to do a few things by telling them they may not leave the house until the chore they were told to do is done - this generally gets them to act quickly.





Pam

 

[jupiterannette]

yeah my folks did the if its onthe floor it must be trash thing....

lost alot of toys that way by the time i was 10 ish i figured it out, and now ima a neat nic..

try.... the embarasment thing... it works

i would absolutly die if a friend came over int he middle of cleaning!

good god, shavings every where.. i dont think so!

get them to take pride in there home and them selves...

it feels good to be clean and know where everyhting is. its healthier too!

invite a girl over for dinner.... LOL and hsow her there messy room!

that will do it! LOL

good luck.

everyhting has a place and there is a place for everything.!

 

[CheyAutRanch]

I have the same problem... only it's my HUSBAND!!!!

Jessi

 

[JadeIcing]

My mom tossed whatever was on the floor. Took two times before I stopped leaving things around.

Oh and if it was something that cost money we had to pay her back for it.

 

[Luvmyzoocrew]

my kids are the same way but they are 8,3, and 2,lol guess they are practicing for teenage years,lol. What we do here is take things away if and when he doesnt listen, which could go for not cleaning. But of course dont take away things that they dont care about you have to take the most beloved things away, cell phones, i pods, computers and t hings that really get them where it hurts,lol. The clothes things just keep picking up whats on the floor and putting it somewhere and make them pay to get it back,lol, hit them in the pocket. my kids are in trouble when they get older because i am go ing to do things like that.

 

[Wabbitdad12]

Bassetluv wrote:

It was a constant battle of:

"your clothes don't go on the bedroom floor...they go in your dresser"

"wash your dirty dishes...or at least put them in the sink"

"don't leave uneaten food --- in the livingroom/bathroom/bedroom/under the bed"

(Disclaimer to admit that I was never the best of housekeepers anyway, but I still say he gets it from his dad...even though he never lived with him...)

Amen!The pictures you see of towns struck my tornado's and my house would be hard to distinquish! My wife and I are not excellent housekeepers either, we do try to keep the house presentable.

Thanks everyone for some good ideas, keep'em coming!

 

[XxMontanaxX]

I'm a slobby teenager. :rollseyes

I'm working on it though!

 

[MsBinky]

I was and still am a slob. :bagheadMrBinky could tell you. LOL. Nothing worked on me though. I mean, my room was really clean any time I had company over but other than thay no way. Funny thing is, I was always cleaning at work even when no one asked. I mean, not just little things. I took on huge projects. Lol. I am working on it though.

I don't have any suggestions other than really trying to get them to limit how much they have, especially little things. I got rid of sooooooooo much and it has helped tons. It helps to be living with a neat freak too

 

[tundrakatiebean]

*Hides in the black hole that is her room*:embarrassed:

 

[undergunfire]

CheyAutRanch wrote:

I have the same problem... only it's my HUSBAND!!!!

Jessi

My fiance is the sloppy one :grumpy:. I am 100% OCD about cleaning. I must have organization and cleanliness or I freak out.