Every mom has her own style of coping up with her kids’ mess, whether it’s an ice cream smeared on a newly washed white shirt or red crayons scrawled all over the wall. Some mothers can be so strict even up to the point that the kids can’t enjoy being at home anymore, while other moms don’t mind the mess at all. I know a mom who keeps her house spotlessly clean and even her décors, indoor plants, televisions, computers and other appliances can’t be moved or touched. So just imagine how her kids feel so restricted at home, they can’t move about or else her interior design arrangements will be ruined.

IMO, for responsible parents, it’s a matter of keeping a balance. While it’s okay to be tolerant with kids playing at home, it’s also essential to teach discipline and inculcating in them a sense of responsibility and respect for order at home and learning how to keep things tidy. One good idea is to teach them how to keep and store their play things after a game or how to fix and arrange the room. If a kid did something wrong, e.g. doodled on the wall, or poured some sticky liquid on the floor tiles, don’t blow off your top, but just point out their mistake and let them clean it up properly instead of doing it yourself.