Finally Getting Some Help

Keeping a clean home with four kids isn't always easy, especially when all four kids are home all the time 24/7.  I have always been a neat and organized person and I try to instill these qualities in my kids.  But no matter how hard I try, they are just messy creatures at heart and so I struggle everyday to keep up wth my household duties.

Don't get me wrong, my house stays clean and organized for the most part.  On any given day, you can walk into my home and it is neat and tidy and ready to welcome guests.  But it's because of my daily habits and the constant reprimands to my kids why my house stays clean.  I have to admit, I am kind of OCD about having my house look a certain way, everything has a place and everything in it's place at all times, usually.  Honestly, it gets exhausting being such a neat freak all the time.  I had to finally let go of some of the control and enlist help.

After years of waiting, the day has finally come when I don't have to do everything myself anymore.  The kids are getting older and they are now able to take on more responsibilities.  I no longer have to do it all by myself.  I can ask for help, I can make them pitch in and do their part.  After all, most of the mess belongs to them.  So I recently started giving them incentives to help out more on top of their regular everyday chores.  With payment involved, my kids can now help vacuum, dust, clean the bathrooms and mop the floors.  Having them decide which chore they'd like to get paid to do has lessened my work load at home significantly.  Plus it's a way for them to earn extra money, which teaches them about financial responsibility.  They can now save for items they covet and learn the value of money and how much certain items cost.  To be honest, it's a win win situation for everyone involved and I could not be more happy.