Teaching my 4 year old to clean up.

[Speedgoat]

It is a nightmare. Toy boxes dumped over. Everything he owns is strewn all over. It drives me batty. I talk, he cries. I come in and find him playing again just 5 minutes after we talk, then he cries again and I end up cleaning the majority of the room.

However, I wouldn't change a thing. I love my boy and he is only here at home for so long

[jkk831]

In the same boat!

[Alpha Dog]

Enjoy These times. You're gonna miss them

[Mayhem]

I totally understand.

[BigThicketBoy]

My boys room is neater than his sisters lol. That girl use to put everthing up just so ...now looks like a bomb went off in there

[Palmetto]

Yep. My oldest just turned 5. He may have a filthy room, but he does have pretty good handle on his sirs & ma'ams.

[dustoffer]

Don't talk and walk--stay there and walk him thru the cleanup. And, do it next time, and the next, until he "gets it". Sometimes you just have to find a price he's not wiling to pay. A friend of mine had two girls who were constantly arguing--he found their price--a 30-to 60-minute "talk" from Dad with them sitting and facing one another was their price.

[doghouse]

LOL. Thanks for the laugh Matt. Hang in there, its gets worse till they are in their mid to late teens.

[HoneyBee]

My three boys just got finished cleaning their room. I told them we weren't having Christmas until they cleaned it and it only took them 30 minutes to get everything picked up and then the oldest swept....

[LemmeOut]

I understand as well and mine are 5 and 7. I hear this is boring when doing any kind of "cleaning". Drives me nuts too but at this age they are old enough to learn repercussions for not picking up. Every so often I will walk in their room with a pair of boots with stiff soles and crunch my way to their beds to wake them up.

It makes me feel better even if they don't get the idea.

[Slew]

My 5yr old knows right where my line is and he gets right to it and stomps all over it!!! Worth every minute though. Hopefully headed to the lease this weekend.

[Speedgoat]

My 5yr old knows right where my line is and he gets right to it and stomps all over it!!! Worth every minute though. Hopefully headed to the lease this weekend.

Good luck bro!!

[backinthegame]

My 5yr old knows right where my line is and he gets right to it and stomps all over it!!! Worth every minute though. Hopefully headed to the lease this weekend.

this sounds like my 3 1/2 yr old daughter.

[PSD Ryan]

I had a cousin who was very messy and when I babysat him I'd get him to clean his room by playing with all the toys into where they get put up. The toy trucks all had to be driven and parallel parked in the closet. The superheros had to fly back to "base", and the villains had to be put in "jail". Etc. Etc. Worked when I was with him but I doubt it stuck

[tsu1998]

My 4 and 6 year olds can demolish a house in two seconds! Yesterday I picked up the whole house. An hour later it was a wreck. Totally feel your pain.