Ask Amy- When Your Kids' Creative Projects Are Also Huge Messes
How can I encourage my kids\u2019 creativity and self-directed play while also setting limits on the messes they make?\nErin emailed us to say:\nMy kids are 3, 5, and 7 and during the pandemic they\u2019ve really played together well and have learned to entertain themselves.\xa0BUT they are driving me crazy with all of their \u201cgreat ideas\u201d and huge projects. I\u2019m talking about packing for an imaginary camping trip with all of their real clothes that I will have to sort and fold later.\xa0\xa0Putting on swimsuits on the first warm day of fake spring and filling the kiddie pool with water and ending up covered in mud in 60 degree weather.\xa0\nYou get the idea. I love their creativity and ambition but I can\u2019t manage and clean up these huge messes every single day. How can I put boundaries around it so it\u2019s not such a disaster afterwards?\nAnyone who's ever renovated a kitchen or made a short film has heard of the "Golden Triangle" of project management. On the triangle's corners are three goals: Good. Fast. Cheap. You can pick any 2. You can't have all 3.\nWhen it comes to kids having fun, the three points on that triangle are Child-Led. Exciting. Neat. Once again, going for all three is not usually a reasonable goal. If the kids' messes are really getting to you\u2013no shame in that, by the way\u2013 a little more parental oversight might be required in the planning stages. If you really need an hour to yourself, and they're playing happily, there might be an entirely emptied bookshelf waiting for you on the other side.\nEven then, there's a difference between a messy playroom and muddy footprints in the kitchen. The latter require immediate and focused effort; the former, if you can stand waiting it out, can be something the kids are in charge of cleaning up, before their next desired activity.\nIt's okay to put parameters around your kids' big plans that work for you. When it comes to cleanup, why not let these big thinkers and team-planners come up with a group solution? Then be sure to "catch them being good" and heap on the praise when they are actually helpful in getting things back to one.\n\n\n* Leave us a rating or review in your favorite podcast app!\n* Join us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/whatfreshhellcast\n* Instagram: https://instagram.com/whatfreshhellcast\n* YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/WhatFreshHellPodcast\n* Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/whatfreshhellcast\n* Twitter: https://twitter.com/WFHpodcast\n* questions and feedback: info@whatfreshhellpodcast.com\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices