Child Ready to Clean? | 7 Ways to Tell

Last weekend I decided to clean out our awfully messy minivan. You know, the typical mom-van that has goldfish, cheerios and chip crumbs everywhere, along with spills of unknown contents. After I had cleaned out our van my son said very emphatically, “Thank youuuu, Mom, for cleaning the van. It really needed to be done.”

My first thought, was “Wow, you’re welcome?” I didn’t realize my lack of cleanliness was affecting his personal style. Then, I realized if it’s affecting him so much I am certain he can clean it himself next time. So, here are the seven signs to recognize a child ready to clean your house themselves. (Or your van.)

♦They thank you for cleaning with an eye roll, a sigh of exasperation and lengthy explanation that whatever you just cleaned needed to be cleaned weeks ago. If you really feel this way, clean away my friend!

♦They refuse to invite their friends over because the house is “too messy”. If you can express to me that you are unwilling to invite people into our home because it’s not as clean as you expect, grab a rag and start wiping. Pick up all your toys and put them in the trash. I really do not care.

♦They compare your home to their friend’s home. “Well, Tommy’s mom always puts his clothes away for him.” If Tommy’s mom is such a laundry expert I am sure you can stay with her for the week and she would just love to put away your clothes, too. Better yet, you know where the hangers are located, put them away yourself.

♦They are able to reach the highest level in Angry Birds. I will be completely honest, I know nothing about Angry Birds, but I am certain your learned hand-eye coordination also extends to the use of a broom and mop.

If you can reach the highest level of Angry Birds, I'm certain you have the hand-eye coordination to mop the kitchen.Click To Tweet

♦They point out all the spots you missed while cleaning. If you can follow me around the house with commentary telling me the spots I missed, eventually I am just going to hand you the vacuum and let you do it yourself.

♦They spend more time complaining about the cleaning that needs to be done, then the time it takes to actually clean. I get it, dude. I hate cleaning too. If I had known this mom gig involved so much cleaning I would have probably spent a lot more time considering what I was doing. You may not have existed at all, so you’re welcome.

♦Your kid is one hundred percent certain that you only gave birth to them to clean the house. I thought this when I was a kid, too. I now realize I was the only reason there was a mess in the house.

If you notice that your child exhibits one or more of these behaviors, I suggest you create a weekly chore chart. Pinterest is full of weekly cleaning schedules I am certain they would be thrilled to complete. Of course, if you include an allowance, that just takes away all the fun.

Happy cleaning, kids!