HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATIE!!!! Tales of a teenagers room...
First, I want to say happy birthday to my baby girl! Seventeen...wow! I can't believe you are 17!
In honor of her birthday, I am going to share her room. She is a teenager so it is rarely this organized and clean! But it is her creation and she loves her "stuff" and her space.
I featured the mural on Katie's wall here....and her "unstuffy" wing back chair here. Since we remodeled her room, she has added a lot of her own touches that make the space her own.
As with most teens, her room in a constant state of OH MY GOSH...CLEAN YOUR ROOM!!!! Dirty dishes, dirty clothes in the clean clothes basket (with the clean clothes still in it!), make-up and hair covering the floor and trim, dust bunnies EVERYWHERE! Just a mess.
She is a busy girl. She is an outstanding student (4.2 this last semester...she rocks), she works part-time and she was the lead in the spring musical. (Seriously, the girl has some crazy chops!)
So in spite of all my pleading, begging and bribing, her room stays in a constant state of "mess." Usually the result of just too much "stuff." So a few weeks ago, I decided to take action and tackle the mess.
Since it was in a half-way decent state, I decided it would be a good time to share pictures of ONE of the rooms upstairs!
I also came up with an idea that MIGHT give her incentive to get rid of "stuff." Keep in mind, kids lack the ability to organize and like most of us, they hang on to stuff that they really don't need or want any longer. It is important to "purge" on a regular basis!
I left this bag on her trunk. I told her I would pay her $20 for every large trash bag she fills with clothes, shoes, books....stuff! What many don't know is you can donate "stuff" to your local non-profit thrift store (Salvation Army, church organizations, etc) and get a receipt for a nice tax deduction. So $20 for a bag of things they no longer want or need benefits both you AND your teen...you get a nice little tax deduction and they get pocket change (or gas money!)
Younger kids can be enticed into "giving" their unwanted toys to kids who NEED them. Start them young!
I have learned that teenagers tend to be a bit more myopic and aren't as eager to clean out closets and drawers for the benefit of those in need...sad, but true! They want hard, cold cash!
So far I haven't seen the bag...we'll see. This is why I don't give parenting advise.
