Do your Grandkids leave your house in a mess?

When we go to my parents house or grandparents house, I walk right behind the kids before we leave, making them clean up any of their messes.

Part of playing anywhere should be picking up! If your kids don't encourage it, you still should!

I just had my twin granddaughters over yesterday. They will be 3 in September, but they all ready know to pick up after themselves. I just tell them "okay, it's time to pick up the books" (for example) and they go around doing so. When I was first teaching them to do this, I would show them how to do it and then praise them when it was done.

OMG, do they ever!!!!!!!!!!

I wish they left our place a mess. Their parents never bring them to visit. We didn't even see them christmas, their parents said they were too busy to come over.

I think everyone has that problem who has grandchildren.

What I try and keep in mind is this: Once someone told me, when I was complaining about my children's messy bedroom "One day everything in your house is going be be peaceful and very quiet. You will walk to that bedroom door and wish that there was a mess and a noise coming from that now silent room."

THEY WERE RIGHT.

I now have no complaints with the grandchildren making as big a mess as they want. though I still yell and complain, it is with a little smile on my face and in my heart.

Someday I might be asking YOU for advice. Right now my two stepdaughters are too young and not married yet, so no grandkids! I just hope when they are married, and bring them to visit, that they clean up after them themselves, because we'll be too old by then! ;-D

Renda, you started them off right. My other set ages 10 months and 5 years might still be able to train.

Jane C. you make me feel better. I just love the first day together then it goes down hill from there. Especially if they come in pairs.

Sheila J - I am so sorry. My son told me that they might not make it to our family Easter luncheon and I was so upset. I like to complain, but I want them to return as often as possible.

Roger - I fully understand what you are saying. Fortunately, we have moved since the kids grew up and left for families of their own. We built our new home little at a time with no empty rooms full of memories. In fact the rooms are becoming full of grandkid memories and we are thankful for that.

Nancy M. - I think that is my problem. I am getting old. The big six zero is in April.

It helps if the parents encourage clean up as well! My in-laws watch our two kids part-time -- usually just one at a time but sometimes they will have both on certain days. The kids are 3 and 5 and, of course, they can make a huge mess in no time at all. But I insist that they clean up at home and I insist that they clean up at Grandma and Grandpa's house as well. They grumble sometimes but they know the rules and they know there are consequences (loss of privileges for example). And it's amazing because as much as they complain once they get started they can clean up in record time and do a great job of it :-)

Thanks Marie L. Neither of my kids really push my grandkids to cleanup the house. Usually like yesterday, we are meeting the parents half way to deposit the grandkids since it is a long drive to grandmas. I think I am going to half to learn how to allow only one item out at a time, but I will then become a full time observer. I will have to decide which is worse a house to clean or being on top of them the whole visit.

Heather T. - your parents & grandparents must appreciate that.

no.

When my kids were growing up, kids still played outside unless it was freezing or raining. Then they sat and watched TV or played games. I cannot remember having a messy house, but the grandkids sometimes pick up and clean up, others they mess from one end of the house to the other.

Since we seldom see the grandbabies, we really dont complain. just happy to see them.

Tabitha M. - I encouraged it. It just went in one ear and out the other. Next time they come to visit, I am going to me more forceful.

Donald, my two sets of grandkids are totally different also. We are lucky in that we live within a two hour drive of both sets. Hope you get to see your grandkids more often in the future.

I envy you Doc. It must be your bark that keeps them under control.

Linda T - my kids kept the junkiest rooms, no matter how much you yelled. But they keep nice clean houses now that they are married.

My granddaughter is 2 in May and I make her mother clean up her messes. HA HA

I know this doesn't answer your question, but I'd welcome the mess if my youngest grandkids could visit more often. They live 1500 miles away, and since my husband's health is poor and we seldom travel, we see them maybe once a year. Our older granddaughters (a different son's children) were good about cleaning up after themselves because their mother made them.

Dennis S. - that is a good one.

Beverly M - it does answer my question. I am so sorry that your husband isn't feeling well and your grandkids can't spend more time with you all.

My daughter kept threatening that she was moving to North Carolina last summer. She wanted a picture perfect setting to bring her kids up in. I asked her why she couldn't find what she wanted in the Dallas area. She lived in one of the most active young adults communities. So in November, she finally looked and found a home about 2 hrs away that reminds her of what she wanted in North Carolina. I would say that they won't move for awile. I am luck to have my family so near. F. Jay and I have to split the drive time, but it all works out.

I visited my daughter a week ago, and my five year old grandson just loved having me there. We came up with secret words. The first one was by accident "dead horse meat". He would just cackle at the idea of our having a secret word. Also, he cleaned up his own mess.

We get our grandson a lot (every other weekend) so we make him clean up. It isn't hard. We just turn off the TV and help him get started. He's only six, so we break it down into more manageable tasks ("pick up all the books and put them on the shelf" instead of "clean your room") and help him if he gets overwhelmed. If he ever refused, I'd just get a big black trash bag and start picking up. It's amazing how quickly they catch on.

That is great Rebecca D. I like your way of breaking the big job into small task.

When I was little, our house was always chaotic (I was one of five) and messy. When we went to my grandma's house, we were always calm--never jumped on the furniture, never made a mess, helped with the dishes, etc. Why? Because it was expected.

I think coming from a chaotic background has made discipline harder for me (self-discipline and also disciplining my kids). Still, I know I can do it; it just takes extra planning and energy. I used to bring my toddler to the library and settle down with my nose in a book, only to "come to" and find that he's taken all the picture books from the L section and piled them on the floor--and he's hungry, tired, starting to cry--time to go and so clean up has to be rushed--or forsaken.

I don't have grandkids, but if I ever get some, here's my plan:

*Let them play, but schedule some time periodically to do a quick clean up. I would probably need to set a timer or something to remember to do this. Maybe once every couple of hours, just ask them to put away toys that they're finished playing with.

*Make these clean up interludes fun. Remember Mary Poppins and "a spoonful of sugar?" Put on some music, sing a clean up song (just make it up as you go along, let them make up some too), make up your own ritual to make it fun--especially if they're younger. (My favorite was one I stumbled upon when my kids were about 3 and 8--I would be a sports announcer with a fake microphone: "La-dees and Gentlemen, we now have the room cleaning playoffs. D has a good start, but C seems to be waiting for the starting gun which has already gone off. Is he confused, ladies and gentlemen? has he suddenly lost his hearing? D is already far in the lea--oh! here comes C, and it looks like he may catch up; He's going after the cars while D picks up the dominoes--Ladies and Gentlemen, I've never seen anything like this! You have to see it to believe it....." You get the idea. The more outrageous it got, the more fun we all had. The room got clean, but you may have to tone it down a bit if they get too excited.)

*Enlist the parents' help. Even if they're not physically there, they can let kids know before drop off and after pick up that they're expecting the kids to help you. Your kids may not realize that this is a problem for you. It's really not too much to expect for the grandkids to clean up after themselves, and it doesn't have to be unpleasant.

I hope this helps!

Mary H. that helped. I love your sports announcer.

Yes, and I don't mind.
I do have then put some things away before getting out others but it seems life is a whirlwind when they are here and before you know it they are gone. Then I have a quiet, lonely empty house. It's kind of sad. I put things away and think of them.