It Takes A Month - Tween Theory

Sock Party

It has been a month. The last day of school was Thursday 12th March. During that time I have asked, nagged, shouted at, and begged DD to tidy her bedroom.

Every time I heard, "I'm bored," I suggested she tidy her bedroom. Eventually the complaint evolved into, "I'm bored and I'm not tidying my bedroom (or reading a book)."

I also suggested that she do the washing up, make her own supper, take the rubbish down, and do various other small tasks to contribute to the running of the household. Some of these have been done but rarely without attitude.

It's not that I've created a monster. It's lockdown cabin fever and tween hormones all bubbling away just below the surface.

DD's bedroom was cleaned for Pesach in that we changed the bed clothes (she helped me do this), dusted, hoovered and mopped the floor. However, all the stuff on the floor was shifted to the desk, the bookcase and the chest of drawers. Two storage baskets on the chest of drawers were piled high with random stuff. The bookcase was a mess. The desk top was hidden under it all. Storage boxes had enjoyed sleepovers with other storage boxes and nothing had returned to its proper home. No amount of nagging would get DD moving on this. She wasn't ready.

Mine, hers, and throw out

Yesterday we had a sock party. As we are the same sock size and have been sharing for some weeks, we collected all the socks and piled them on my bed. Then we sorted them out into mine, hers and throw out. DD was very happy with her organised sock drawer after the cull. Things were beginning to stir.

Later that night she went through her collection of three years worth of shoes and pulled out those that are too small or too scruffy.

This morning she asked me if she could clean the patio doors as they were annoying her. This was one of the cleaning tasks I'd not got to last week. There was a sand storm on the day of the big clean so there was no point. Anyway, DD cleaned the window to the balcony.

Next thing I know she's organizing all her storage boxes and baskets, drawers, bookcase, and wardrobe. There's a pile of paper to go to the paper recycling bin. There's a bag of rubbish to throw out. Various items have been added to the donation cupboard.

So my hypothesis for tweens under lockdown is that it takes month. Anyone care to back me up?