Mi Choza De Nipa

Image via Wikipedia By Dr Bill Maier Are you tired of watching your kids clean their rooms with a shovel ? Getting some kids to clean their rooms is like asking the sun to rise in the West! They can be straight-A students, but their bedrooms look like a war zone! Some parents throw their hands up and say: "Well, it's their room, and if they want to live that way, so be it." But I'm not sure that's the best approach. A clean room is often a sign of respect for self and others. And every child should be held to a certain level of neatness, even if it's just "acceptable". One good approach is to set clear rules regarding cleanliness . You might post a memo on the fridge that every Tuesday and Saturday are "Pick-up days" and nobody eats dinner until their rooms are in order; then stick to it. Most kids won't be as concerned about corners as you are, so don't demand perfection. As long as they dig out the shovel and make a serious effo...

By Dr Bill Maier Children need limits to learn right from wrong. But it's important that our limits make sense. Boundaries do more than keep our kids safe — they guide them in the fundamentals of life. When we set clear limits, we're teaching our kids that some things are unacceptable and wrong, and can lead to trouble later in life. We're protecting their future. But not all limits that parents set are about guidance or protection. Some tend to be personal preferences — behaviours that simply suit our style. For instance, people who value cleanliness may go overboard by expecting their kids to be perfectionists. A toy left in the living room can turn into a major battle. Kids need to mind, but they also need space to develop their own personalities. There's nothing wrong with expecting a level of cleanliness, but before going to war over a messy room, make sure you're not drawing battle lines in the wrong place. From TODAY, Voices – Thursday, 04-Jun-2009 Related...