“My teenage daughter has a ‘floordrobe’ and refuses to tidy up her bedroom. I’ve tried everything I can think of to reason with her, but she won’t listen. How can I encourage her to use her wardrobe instead of the floor?”
The simplest thing you can do is to try and figure out the thinking behind your teenager’s behaviour.
Is this a rebellious phase? Is it sheer laziness? Is your daughter trying to fit in with her friends? Or is there a legitimate reason you haven’t unearthed?
Review the wardrobe
Before you start to nag – yet again – have a good look at her wardrobe and see if it is appealing and functional for her needs.
Is there a reason why she may be finding it easier to toss her clothes onto the floor instead of onto hangers?
Start by observing the hanging area. Is it large enough to hold all her clothes? Does she have adequate coat hangers? Is the wardrobe full of old clothes that she’ll never wear again?
Earlier in the week we posted an article on how to organise wardrobes – these tips could be step one in getting your daughter back on track. (Link to Monday’s wardrobe article)
Talk about the problem
Before you launch into your next yelling match, sit down with your daughter and have a chat about her ‘floordrobe’. Ask the basic questions of why she doesn’t put her clothes away and if there is anything that would make it easier.
Sometimes creating a dialogue about the issue can be enough to break down barriers.
Devise a plan
Once you’ve figured out why your teenager is acting this way, devise an action plan. Stay away from monetary incentives, as this is a task she should already be doing.
Consider restructuring or decorating the wardrobe to make it more appealing to your daughter. Let her take control and responsibility for the project.
By delegating the responsibility to her it should install a sense of ownership and help in the long term; make it known that it is ‘her wardrobe’.
Consider buying some decorative storage boxes to place within troublesome areas of the wardrobe; let your daughter choose the boxes and take creative control with colour schemes and positioning.
To initially get the ‘floordrobe’ under control set aside an afternoon to help your daughter move her clothes from the floor into her wardrobe.
It’s a huge task and standing back, making her deal with it alone, may spur the opposite reaction to what you want.
By helping your daughter out, you show support in the cause and hopefully with a little luck, you’ll have encouraged your daughter to keep her wardrobe sorted and off the floor.
Home Sorted! owner and founder Nina Rosace has been nominated for the AusMumpreneur awards in the Service Business Award category! Show some support by heading over to the voting page and placing your vote for Home Sorted!
