Should I Help My Teen Clean Their Room?

I am a big proponent of helping our teens clean their rooms a few times a year. While they are capable of cleaning on their own, there are some good reasons you might want to help every now and then! I help my kids about once a quarter because:

• I enjoy spending time with them
• it gives me a chance to teach them
• we create systems together
• I can help them through the decision making processes required
• I can teach them to process the emotions surrounding items
• we can deep clean when it’s picked up (dust, vacuum, etc.)
• we remove unneeded items (my teen just got rid of two bags of trash, two bags of clothes, a bag of stuff for DI, and a big basket of stuff that goes in other places in the home)
• they are less overwhelmed and they keep it cleaner than it was for awhile
• I want them to know I am always available to help when they need it!

It takes a lot of skills to do a good job cleaning a room. Not just cleaning skills, but other skills like self-motivation, the ability to make decisions, and persistence. These skills take time (and practice) to develop. Plus, cleaning is always more fun when you do it with someone else! There are also a lot of emotions that get attached to items and your teen might need help processing them. For example, should they keep a gift they got from their grandma from two years ago? What about a souvenir from a trip five years ago?

Do you still help your teen clean their room? Why or why not?

Check out my YouTube video “Sanctuary or Swamp” here!