Are some people just messy by nature or is it really possible to “train” our loved ones to be tidy?

I was once a neat freak – the kind that couldn’t sit still in a room if there was dust on a shelf or a painting on the wall that was slightly crooked. Before meeting my husband and having kids, I lived in an apartment that I vacuumed every day.

But now, I give up. It’s impossible to stay on top of the mess at my house. In fact, I can’t even find time to do chores on a regular basis. My children know that they have to pick up after themselves, but they don’t always put their toys away. We got rid of a lot of stuff in the past two years, but nevertheless, we still can’t keep our house in order.

Besides hiring someone to clean, I’m wondering if other families out there might have some advice on how to keep their homes neat and tidy. Do your children have a list of chores? How old were they when they started helping out around the house? Do you have weekly routines that you follow?

I'm also wondering, are all little kids messy or is there something I should be doing now so that I can help them be neat and orderly adults?

---

---