Dear Queenie,
I can’t get my children to pick up their toys and other things they leave lying around the house. I have to tell them every time and even then they don’t do a very good job of it.
Queenie, do you have any suggestions?—Disgusted mother
Dear Mother,
I have several:
When you pick up your children’s things, do not put them away where they can get them out again. Instead, put them somewhere they cannot get them, and make them pay some sort of penalty to get them back.
For example, if you give them an allowance or they have some other source of pocket money, charge them a fee for each item you had to pick up. Or, assume that they do not want any toys or other non-essentials they leave lying around, and donate the items to charity, while charging a fee for the essentials.
If charging your children actual cash in such a case is not practical, the penalty can be loss of some privilege or special treat, even if it is just no dessert after a meal. Just make sure they understand the connection between their behaviour and the penalty.
