This past weekend CootieGirl and I were watching an episode of “Hoarders.” She was fascinated at the state of the person’s house and shocked that people could live that way. I told her that a LOT of people lived that way – possibly even kids she went to school with. After the episode ended, CG was thrilled at the progress that the man had made in his house, even if it wasn’t a total overhaul (the end result was that he at least had PATHWAYS in his house – which he didn’t have before).
I then turned on an old episode of “Clean House,” which features families with much less debilitating hoarding tendencies. On the show she and her crew would help them empty the rooms, have a huge yard sale, and then use the money they made and a match from the sponsor to redo a couple rooms in the house. CG loved Niecy Nash as well as the family in the episode we watched. I didn’t have the heard to tell her the show was cancelled years ago (fortunately it lives on with Netflix, which has 3-4 seasons available to view).
On Sunday she announced she was going to her room. Three hours later she came downstairs and dragged me upstairs to her door. There sat a trash bags filled with toys. “This is trash, stuff for the yard sale and stuff to give to MA (her cousin).” She then opened her door and showed me a spotless bedroom. Not only that, but upon opening her closet I found it organized, tidy and neat.
She said, “I didn’t want me room to be like the people on that show yesterday.”
That night when she was going to bed I told her how proud I was that she cleaned her room without my asking AND didn’t let her brother distract her.
Who knew that an episode of “Hoarders” with a dash of Niecy Nash would inspire her to clean her room! I wish I had known that years ago!