Simple Teen's Room ☆ Why I Teach My Kids To Tidy Up

This is my teen girl’s room.

If you would like to skip the content about the importance of teaching kids to tidy up, please scroll down.

In case anyone is wondering, her room usually does not look this neat as it is shown in the photo. Once in a while my daughter does make an effort to clean up. On this day, though, I had to pick up quite a bit of stuff to style and make it look presentable for the sake of this blog post as well as for my Instagram.

Value Of Only Owning What Makes You Happy

I recently read an article “Why Minimalism Is BS”.

In the article the author says this.

“Through Kondo, we’ve been persuaded that tossing our belongings is the way to achieve happiness. In response, we’ve fetishized minimalism and tidying up.”

One of the members in a FB group I belong made a beautiful counter argument about this.

“I get the feeling most who are anti Marie Kondo haven’t read the book. The point isn’t about minimalist, it’s about having a purpose for the things you buy, even if that purpose is just to make one happy. And if something makes you happy, it should be visible and easily accessible so it can actually do its job of making you happy. (And taking time to be grateful, for each thing you own)”

The beauty of Marie Kondo’s message to me is that you live with what serves you purposes and makes you happy. She is a big hit because her strategy is not just about throwing away things. Through the process of going through every single item you own, it makes you re-evaluate your life values, who you want to be and how you want to live your life.

This article made me think of the reasons why I find it valueable to teach my children to tidy up their rooms.

Importance of Organizing

The baseline for me when I teach my kids to organize their rooms is this.

Can you find everything you own without excavating through your stuff?

In other words, if you have to dig through your crap and can’t find what you need (and blame others that they had moved it), then you need to do something about it.

In general, if you don’t have a system of organizing your belongings, you can’t find what you need when you need it.

Have you experienced a situation where you kept an item for a specific use or purpose for years (like “maybe one day…”), but then that one day comes and when you finally need it, you actually can’t find it and forgot where you put it. In the end, you end up buying the same item.

If you have a system, like the one in a library, you may not have an issue of not finding what you need even if you own a ton of stuff. Most people don’t. Plus, don’t you think it’s such a waste of your time when you have to spend a lot of time looking for stuff? If you can’t find something in your professional setup, you will look quite unprofessional, too.

My daughter one time couldn’t find a pair of black flats for the chorus concert. I purchased a new pair for her. Then, later I found her missing pair in the corner of her room under a pile of her stuff. Needless to say, her way of organizing is not working, but she’s only a teenager. I’m trying to teach her to be responsible for her belongings because there is no promising that she will grow out of it. One day she will go off to college. I’m not going to be there to help her scavenger hut items for her.

The Value Of Teaching Respect

I want my children to learn the value of taking care of their belongings by using them carefully and responsibly.

In other words, I would like for them to use them with respect. For example, I don’t allow my kids to leave a towel on the bathroom floor. They have to put away clean clothes on their own. Their toys need to be put back in the place they belong after they play. Every item my children own should have a place that it belongs. I’ve been trying to teach them this lesson all their lives. To tell you the truth, they still have a long way to go.

When my husband and I provide materials to our children, we expect them to take care of them. If toys, clothing items, shoes, bags, accessories, books, or even library books are left on the floor for days, I perceive it as a sign that they don’t care about them. If they don’t take care of their belongings, I don’t see how they deserve new items.

At my children’s current schools and schools in the past, it has always stunned me to see the amount of items that are brought and left in the lost and found. Some children don’t even claim the lost items. I wonder if it’s because their parents can easily purchase the same items. My children have left and sometimes lost their water bottles, hats, lunch boxes, swim goggles, and more at their schools. If my children don’t take care of their items, they face consequences.

You Have Everything You Need

I hope that teaching my children the importance of using and treating what they own with respect will help them appreciate what they have. It’s easy to focus on what we don’t have. This seems to be often the source of unhappiness. We need to shift our focus and be aware of what we already have. Acquiring and holding on to more will not help you fill the void that exists in you.

In yoga I learned this.

“You already have everything you need to be happy.”