A Room of Her Own

Every couple weeks or so the Room gets really bad. You can't see any floor. There is hardly any bed to be seen (and there are 2 in there). And I can almost guarantee there are several lost shoes under the beds just waiting to be discovered. The Room belongs to Ashley and Alona. I tell them to clean it. This is how it goes.

Ashley walks off to her room and starts cleaning.

Mom: "Alona, go clean your room."

Alona s l o w l y walks to her room, dragging her feet.

A minute or two goes by.

Ashley: "Alona's not cleaning!"

Mom or Dad goes to the room to tell her to clean.

Ashley and Alona periodically walk by with one article of clothing to take to the laundry room.

A little time passes. Mom and Dad hear playing in the room.

Mom: "Are you cleaning?!"

Ashley: "Alona's not. I am, though!"

This goes on and on and on and on.

After some time, Ashley emerges and announces that her stuff is clean. Alona, however is still messing around (if she is even in the room). Dad goes in the room with Alona and closes the door. Alona is told she is not allowed to leave the room until she has finished cleaning. She cries and cries. Eventually she starts cleaning. And guess what? It gets clean. And Dad didn't do anything but tell her to put the dirty clothes in one pile, trash in another pile, and random things that don't belong in the room in another. She does all the work. Why can't she just do it when we ask her the first time?

So after that happened today (which they tried to use the excuse that you can't clean your room on Sunday- and I would prefer that they had done it yesterday anyway!) we decided Ashley needed to have her own room. So this week we will be moving Natalie in with Alona and Ashley will be getting Natalie's room. I think Ashley will be able to keep it clean. Alona and Natalie's room, well, I just don't know what will happen in there!