After having my three kids, some of the things that I had to say goodbyes to were not just peace and quiet, but also neatness and order. It felt as if my children’s toys, clothes, shoes and feeding bottles had sprouted legs and marched into every part of the house, then multiplied and mixed in with the stuff that my husband and I were also accumulating. Of course, there were moments when everything was where it was supposed to be, but those instances were few and far between. Now that my kids are a little bigger, we have all somewhat managed to live with each others clutter in a more or less controlled environment, with more and longer neat moments.
One best way to teach our children to be neat and thus help keep the house in order, is to be a role model. As parents we must reinforce positive behaviors of neatness with simple rewards at the same time. It sometimes takes us one whole night to organize and review what they can still use, what we can give away. also during this time, we segregate their puzzles, making sure that every piece is there, and put them in a plastic container. In doing such activities, our children will definitely get our point about keeping things in order.