Kids. They're going to be the death of me.
Not mine, though. Other peoples.
(although mine are a very close second)
I love how we have tons of room and I love how we can have kids over to play with the boys; the mamas get some time, the kids get time, its tons of fun.
But, oh the mess.
It hurts my soul.
Actually, its hurts my OCD Type-A anal retentivity.
Don't get me wrong - my kids are not neat and tidy. Big boyo makes his fair share of messes and little boyo is like some kind of hurri-nado of destruction. However, I think we've done a pretty decent job of teaching and training Big Boyo that we really only play with one or two toy(s) or set(s) of toys at a time. Then, we clean up what we're done with and put it away and get out a new toy or set. We think this teaches respect and appreciation for the things he has, encourages imaginative play, makes use of limited space, and so on. Also, it saves Mama's sanity.
Others, not so much. And, its not even like that is something "wrong" or "bad," its just a different philosophy, so to speak, about handling playtime, space and property. Although, I will say, I've noticed that things tend to end up lost, misplaced or, um, ripped and destroyed, after a "hurricane" play session - one in which the kids just pull out every. last. thing. we own and throw it all around.
So yea - I'm that mom. You know, the one cleaning up as kids are playing.
But, please, don't take it personally. Its a compulsion. I swear.
How do you handle play time, toys and storage?
::hangs head in shame::
ReplyDeleteOwen plays with a million toys at a time. I admit to cleaning as he plays, I'm the crazy Mama that DOESN'TWANTTOLOSEASINGLEPIECEOFANYTOY and scour the house for the "green ball" to the school bus for five hours only to have it magically end up in the bus the next morning after owen is done playing. Sigh. Now that he has his own playroom I've backed off and only clean the toys at the end of the day (maybe one little swoop here and there...) But I have never tried to tell him to only take out one thing. Does that work this young?
We meet at a park. I cannot handle mess and it detracts from my visiting time with friends. So embarrassingly my solution is to not invite people over.
ReplyDelete@Tam - i think it does. i mean you have to monitor him, but what i would do with johnny was every so often (ie. 4-5x a day), we'd sing the clean up song and "cleanup" together so that it was all "fresh" to start over with toys again. I just think kids don't play well in a huge mess.
ReplyDelete((shrugs))
also, i am pyscho about not losing toys - can't tell you how many times i've driven husband MAD trying to find a rainbow stacker etc.
@Mary - its just too hot here (102 today, 115 heat index) - i like outside play, but sometimes, its what works. however, i feel better that i'm not the only OCD mom out there :-p
We have very different playdate toy rules and just us toy rules. In fact, when people come over, my child is the first to dump out every single toy. I think he thinks it's part of being the host.
ReplyDeleteIt is a total mess, yes, but they have a great time. I typically take 15 minutes before people arrive to hide about half our toys. That way I have half the mess to clean up. And I think most parents stick to the 'we have to clean up before we leave' unwritten rule of playdates. I dunno.
I thought perhaps that might help your sanity. My husband is always the one taking out the trash in the middle of a party. :)
I guess I'll consider myself the mean mom then. I'm the one telling ALL kids.... ANY kids... mine or yours "You make a mess, you clean it up." My house isn't perfect by any stretch of the imagination and it can get quite trashed quite quickly but as long as they put it all back at the end of the day, I don't care. The good part... teach the first one and he'll help to teach the rest. My oldest fully understands that when I say "Clean this mess up", she doesn't have to be told very specifically what to do.
ReplyDeleteBut I tend to not have too many playdates simply because of where we live. I also have had too many instances of parents letting their kids run amok in my house, opening shut doors, playing with things that are OBVIOUSLY not toys. I don't child proof my house and I take into consideration who is coming over and the age of the kids so I'll do my best to put things up. But I just don't do well with kids that think my master bedroom is ok to play in.
It TOTALLY bothers me too!! I am not too crazy about picking up the toys as my children play. With that said I do let my kids mix their toys when playing and such ~ it is all about imagination right?? But I am trying to instill the one or two sets of toys out at a time rule. Basically, whenever I think that there is too many toys not being played with it is time to pick stuff up. Plus, we pick up before nap and bed. I start training them to do so at about 9 months! My little ones (under 3) are all good picker-upers for the most part.
ReplyDeletePlay dates DO drive me crazy!! We do follow the unwritten play date rule, that you help pick up before you go, but it might drive me MORE crazy because things don't get put where they go!! (EVERY toy has a place and my girls no it :) I hate it when toys get lost and I have a "Missing Toys" List. Normally toys only go missing when I am not the one helping with picking up. So far all lost toys have been recovered and placed back into their spot ~ lol.
Sigh. I am the bad mom. My kid is almost 2.5 months old and I haven't even begun to teach the 1 or 2 toys at a time. He does help clean up, but only after almost everything is out!
ReplyDeleteHe plays so independently that it let me remain lifeless on the couch when I was super pukey and pregnant and it lets me nap now when I am sleep deprived. So maybe when all of my kids are sleeping through the night I will work on this skill.
In the mean time, I live far enough away that you don't have to worry about me swinging by for a play date :-)
Did the woman above me just say that her 2.5-month-old child plays independently and doesn't clean up?
ReplyDeleteAnyway, make the mess. I don't care. With company, we hope they help clean up upon leaving. But if they don't, we don't make a big deal. Our own home rules are one clean up before bedtime. We set a timer for 10 minutes and everyone helps. (If the kid stops helping, we all stop and just let the timer run--he must actively participate!) Whatever is not picked up, it goes into toy jail: a garbage bag in the closet. If everything gets picked up, he gets a toy out of toy jail.
I may make an exception to the clean-up-once-a-day rule for items that are just left in the way. I don't want to step on legos in the kitchen or have to move ride-on cars to get through the hall. Otherwise, no big deal.