Today after threatening my kids I did it I packed up the clothes left on the floor the makeup on the counter the earings left on the floor and gave them to good will. (ok they are in my laundry room) but man I cannot believe how much crap they had thrown around. I mean really when they go into their bathroom they just sit on the pot take off clothes and leave them there. This has just recently started I warned them and well today I did it. Hopefully they will get it into their heads that their clothes are not my responsibility!!! Ok enough said how do you deal with Teens who do not clean up?? Was I wrong empty threats were not working what motherly words of advice can I get from you??

Good for you!

Good for you! Except, put that stuff even farther away then the laundry room and make them pay you to get it back! You're not their maid!!!

it's natural for teenagers to constantly test to see how far they can push their luck. it's normal for them to get cranky and to become convinced that you know nothing and couldn't possibly understand anything they're going through.

it's just as natural for us to lose patience and to give all their abandoned and abused belongings to charity - for real - and to make them get jobs to buy them back themselves. ;-)

My sister did the same thing. She tried to get them to clean the room, even gave them a second heads up. Then she went in and cleaned anything that wasn't in its place. Got rid of it. AND NO, there was no last-minute reprieve, no slipping anything out of the bag, AND there were no replacements. She only had to do it twice (a few years apart). Children are very good at learning the rules when there are true accountable consequences. Good for you.

Don't feel bad. I did the same thing to my kids, except I made them buy back their stuff. Anything not bought back after 3 months was donated to the Good Will.

Years later they realized that I put the money they paid me for their stuff back in their savings accounts. Buying back their stuff...Free. Learning to pick up after themselfs...Priceless.

Hang in their long enough and years later you might hear a thank you mom.

My mother threw my clothes out the bathroom window once and they landed on a small roof. She thought I would have to climb out the window to retrieve them. I used a hanger to hook them. She was rather upset that I didn't have to go out the window but I did get the point. There were fewer clothes laying on the floor from then on.

OOOHHH buy back Good idea! did they pay for it monetary or extra chores??

I remember that my mother would tell me, Maid and Mother both may start with M, but I am your MOTHER not your MAID.

Then she proceeded to empty my entire room of stuff that wasn't in its place and she burned it. Then I had to pay for all new. Trust me, I cleaned after that. There were only 3 or 4 shirts/pants and a journal or two, but I learned my lesson

My nephew has recently been in an entitlement mode. So his mother stopped giving presents for a bit. He challenged her that he would then buy IT with his own money. My sister denied him permission, explaining that it was her responsibility to teach him how to handle his money and that spending it on impulse was not a good way to go. So for now, the young lad has to put his allowance in the bank. Life is tough! (NO - I assure you all, the child is not deprived even if he thinks so. lol)