This TikTok has gone viral after a mum explains why she doesn't tell her kids to clean their rooms, and why you shouldn't either.
Clean rooms are a bit of a sore point in many people's homes. Taking care of a house, preparing meals (and countless snacks) as well as trying to hold on to your sanity is no feat - it only makes sense to ask the kids to clean their own rooms right?
According to this TikTok mum, no. If we don't keep our own bedrooms 100% tidy, we shouldn't be asking our kids to either.
TikTok user @afterhourswithamanda, posted the video with the caption "Don't get offended" and since then it has racked up over a million views and 320k likes.
She opens the video with:
"If you're not going to clean your room, you shouldn't ask your kids to clean theirs. I know it's true, listen."
She then goes on to explain that she herself is not the most organized person, but since she had kids she's been trying way harder to keep her space clean and tidy because she noticed her kids were doing the same thing as her - leaving her clothes on the closet floor.
@afterhourswithamanda Don’t be offended ##fyp ##reallifeathome ##thrifted ##cleaning ##cleanroom ##momlife ##createkindcontent ##momsoftiktok ##parenting
So, instead of simply asking her kids to tidy their rooms, she has started to clean her room regularly and makes a statement in front of her kids instead.
She says:
"Ugh, my room is so messy, I can't find anything when it's like this. I'm gonna clean it."
or
"Ugh, it's going to make me feel so much better when I do this."
After a few months of trying this new tactic, her daughter came downstairs and had cleaned her entire room without being asked.
"I'm talking wardrobes organized, made the bed - she even took her stuff out of the hamper and put it into the laundry room."
She reiterates that she did not ask her to do it or even mention her room being messy (which it was, after not being tidied for a week).
Amanda's daughter then said to her:
"Well, I know you like cleaning your room. And you're right, it does make me feel better."
Amanda has three girls under five and shares hilarious stories and great tips on her TikTok account, @afterhourswithamanda.
What do you think? Do you ask your kids to clean their room?