I'm going to hold your hand while I say this, because this is probably going to make some people mad.

I'm going to hold your hand while I say this, because this is probably going to make some people mad. Your kids do not need to be the only one cleaning up their rooms. Now, does that mean that my kids never clean up their room? No, my kids clean up their rooms 99% of the time, because let's be honest, they make the mess, they need to clean it up. But about once a month while my kids are at school, I clean them myself. And yes, I tear down the forts. Yes, I go through all the random boxes and throw them away. I wash their sheets, I do their laundry, I reorganize all of their drawers. It's basically like returning their room to factory settings. And there was one time that I told my kids, hey, I'm going to clean your room today while you're at school, just don't be surprised if it's different when you get home. And my youngest daughter said, oh, Mommy, are you going to make it feel brand new again? And that just completely melted my heart. I didn't even realize that to them, it feels like a brand new space. Honestly, makes the hours of cleaning totally worth it. Because although I'm cleaning this room for my peace of mind, the fact that it gives them that feeling too, means that I will probably never stop cleaning their rooms. And although it doesn't stay like this for long, kids are still kids, and they deserve to have a safe, clean space.