Okay, okay….let’s get it out on the table. I cannot stand toys in the bedroom!!!!
Oh, and go ahead and remove your mind from the gutter. (wink, wink)
A couple of weeks ago, our master bedroom that not only doubles for a laundry room most of the time (sad, but true), was also doubling as a play room. At any given point there were approximately 2 barbies, 1 shopping cart, 3 balls, 8.45 headbands, 6 random Polly Pocket pieces, 18 legos, and 3-6 toys of the vehicular nature. And that’s not even looking under our bed. Don’t even get me started on what it was like to walk through that room in the dark!
Isn’t the parents’ bedroom supposed to be a retreat? A santuary? A place to ourselves? But unfortunatley, most of the time it is not those things. It’s a shared place, whether intended so or not. So what’s a momma to do when her children continuously drag random toys into the bedroom and leave them there forever!?!
She says “NO” and puts her foot down, that’s what.
In our house, we have plenty of strorage space for toys….and three of our kids know how to clean up after themselves. So I laid some rules down….rules that I hope I don’t have to enforce, but I just so happened to see a firetruck and some books in there today, so….
Rule #1: No toys allowed in our bedroom….except for books if we have reading time on our bed.
Rule #2: If I see a toy in our room, it’s mine. They do not get it back until a chore is done for payment. (Or if it’s in the Polly Pocket category, it goes straight in the trash.)
I think mommy and daddy’s room should have boundaries. Since our children are young, we can’t really set those yet…but before long, I think we’ll have to establish some respect of our bedroom and our privacy. In thinking back to my childhood, not only did I NEVER take toys into my parents’ room, I always knocked before entering and only went in there if I absolutely needed something. I may be mistaken, but I don’t think that’s the norm anymore….is it?
So tell us….
What are your strategies for keeping your room free of kids toys, clothes, etc? Or is this even an issue for you?
