I want to be very careful about how I proceed here. By "day" I merely mean a chunk of time. It can be literally one day (it will be for me) or you can stretch it out over a couple of days. Anyway, I'm digressing already. So here's my strategy for the first day.
Lay down the law. As you saw in the intro, my kids are always hanging out in my room and dumping their stuff in there. I have now made it very, very clear that the space belongs to Mom and Dad. All others may only enter upon permission. Anything that goes into the room with a child comes out of the room with the child. Absolutely no Legos. Do you need a similar law? Do it. Do it with kindness and compassion, without blame, but be firm.
If this sounds a little harsh, remember: this is a haven and a sanctuary. Not a closet. Not a playroom. They have the rest of the house for that.
Take care of the sheets. Take a look at your sheets and quilts or blankets. Are they in good condition? Do you love them? If so, wash them, then make the bed. If your bed linens needs some help, try to get new if you can afford it. If you can't, wash and dry them and make your bed as best you can. Having bed clothes you love can actually go a long way.
Remove all obvious trash. Any trash cans or bags of trash that need to be emptied? Go do it. I'm talking about obvious trash, not to go looking for it. That comes later.
This is very timely for me. My husband and I just decided to take back our bedroom. We do have the rule that no one is to go in without permission, but we've gotten lax in upholding it. We went through all the clothes today, and I am happy to say we only have clothes that belong to us and fit us in there now. :-) And yes, we took out the trash. ;-)
ReplyDeleteThank you! I love that kind of encouragement!
DeleteGood for you for taking back your room! The kids are still adjusting to the new rules, but now they remember more often than not, and I'm not ashamed to stop them in their tracks and ask, "Where are you going, and do you have permission to be there?"