Oct 20 2008

Keeping Clutter At Bay For Your Kid’s Sake

I finally went through my “Parents” magazine for October and came across an interesting tid-bit about how tidy your house is. Apparently, how clean you keep your house will reflect on your kids in the future. Here’s the quote:

According to a research report in the “American Economic Review,” children who are raised in a neat, orderly home grow up to be more successful in their school and work lives than kids who live in a messy environment.”

Those are powerful words. I believe that homes that are clean and clutter-free offer better environments for the people who live in them so I guess I’m not surprised by this finding that it affects children too.

Cleanup routines improve a child’s ability to stick with a task and plan well later in life,” says Dr. Jeanne Brooks-Gunn, who led the review.”

So parents, let’s get out kids to help with all this clean up. Start with getting them to help make his/her bed in the morning, put the toys back at night, put his/her dishes in the sink after dinner. I think if we start when they are young it will make it easier for all of us in the end.

3 Responses to “Keeping Clutter At Bay For Your Kid’s Sake”

  1. louon 20 Oct 2008 at 4:16 pm

    Yes! Finally vindication. Next time one of my many friends that do - is giving me crap for my house being so clean I am throwing this back at her. Seriously, I love it … my answer to all the wall art and magnets that say something silly about messy houses = happy moms/wives/kids/etc. ;)

    Love your site, btw … my first time here.

  2. Alicia at BalancingMotherhood.comon 20 Oct 2008 at 6:55 pm

    Thanks for the comment lou!

  3. Sarahon 20 Oct 2008 at 9:38 pm

    I love clean houses but can’t keep mine that way. I’m a pack rat or just lazy. I’m trying though. Great article. Makes me want to try harder.

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