Have My Teenagers Lost Their Friggin Minds?!

Years ago when the kids were small I stopped being so anal about a clean house. First off I was really the only one doing any house cleaning. I didn't have the time or the energy with 2 small children to keep my house spotless. So, I went for a more relaxed standard. Keep things clean, sanitary and kind of sort of picked up. When any company was coming enlist the whole family to do a big declutter and cleaning session. To this day if any house cleaning is done they ask, "Who's coming over?" I tell them through gritted teeth that sometimes a home needs to be cleaned, because it's dirty not because someone is coming over.

So, clutter laying around seldom bothers me unless it's on a chair I want to sit on. On a printer I want to print from. On something of mine and hiding it from my view making me think it's lost. You get the idea.

I come home from errands a few weeks ago and as I walk past the hall bathroom really known as the kids' bathroom. I see a hanger hanging from one of my favorite pictures and I think steam tooted out my ears! How disrespectful to ones home is what I thought. Dirty clothes on the floor no problem, but a hanger on my picture? One step too far!

Now, I won't let them leave dirty clothes on the floor. "Really," I said, "Are you 4 years old?! There is a hamper not 2 feet away. There will be no more clothes on the floor and if I see anything but my picture hanging on the wall there will be a really dirty nasty chore in your future." The hall bathroom has stayed pretty clean since then. Now to work on their bedrooms.