I, being a mother, sometimes get irritated when my four year old child creates a mess. But then we clean it up together and I let him be carefree. But at times, it is too much and I even scold him, which leaves me with guilt later. For kids, tearing around the house, leaving a trail of minor destruction and chaos is normal. It can be toys, shoes, and empty or full glasses etc. But as parents, we wish that they would be a just a little more organized.

There’s little point in admonishing your child to get his/her act together if your own affairs are in a mess. You will neither be able to supervise your kid nor set a useful example. Therefore, a good thing to do before school starts is to organize your own affairs first. Children tend to copy their fathers or mothers, and when they see major re-organization happening, they try it out too.

Begin the process well ahead of the actual starting of school. Your paperwork which has this nasty habit of piling up and household chores that have spilt over to the next day and those necessary repairs that got postponed are very bad examples for their children. Get busy clearing your pending tasks and simultaneously have your kid get his own school-related affairs organized. Sit and show your child exactly what you want him/her to do, and then give the job with the promise of a small reward. Praise them after they have finished one particular task. Try from these things like popping their uniforms into the washing machine, shining their shoes, dusting out the schoolbag. Guide them gently but firmly if you find them drifting away from the tasks at hand.

We as parents, often tell our kids to do this and that. It gets tedious for our kids as well as for us. A better way is to try a ‘let’s sit and work this out together’ approach. They like to know that mom or dad value their thoughts, views and ideas on a particular subject. By involving your kid in a serious discussion about getting organized, you are actually helping her towards a responsible, mature adulthood.

Problems which we as parents face on a day-to-day basis change with the child’s moods and desires. Our best bet lies in stepping in and reformatting their thinking to some extent. This would ensure that work gets done on time, and without tantrums. Parental authority is a sensitive tool to use. At no time should its use result in the child feeling railroaded into doing something that was not to his/her liking.

Involve kids in decision making in the house. It is not easy to be a child as a child’s life consists of both school life and a home life. Learning time management skills at home will reflect well on their school life, as well. Help them to learn well.