Would you be annoyed by this?

[imhischeeseburger]

Or is just territory that comes with having more than 1 kid.

I have a friend that has 2 girls that I on ocassion watch for her.
Every time they come over they destroy DD's room. Now I know my kid isn't a saint and shes up there helping, but I always make sure whenever she goes anywhere that she helps clean up the mess she makes.

Yesterday they came over and they litterally dumped every bin of DD's toys on the floor, broke a piece of her wooden doll house, and took off the sheets of her bed.
And yes I did ask them to help clean up before they left and the girls told me that they did. I didn't bother to check because I was downstairs with their mom and she was in a rush.

Do you make sure that your kids clean up their messes at other peoples house? Or am I just being uptight and kids are going to be kids and I shouldn't get annoyed that they are doing kid things like making messes.

[softspot]

I make my nieces & nephews clean up before they leave, but that may not be the same thing. WTF did they take the sheets off? A mess is kind of a given but taking off the sheets was unnecessary.

[cbwm1]

If Will makes a mess at someone else's house, you bet your ass he cleans it up. I don't care how much he complains, he's going to clean it up. Even if the owners of the home say they'll clean it up, I won't let them pick up after my child.

[Deleted]

They're just destroying shit, I'd stop having them over personally. That's ridiculous.

[partiallysunny]

Yes, I make sure we pick up before we leave. And yes, it would irk me.

Next time, ten minutes before they are suppose to leave, make them pick up while supervising.

[lazyphoque]

For playdates (i.e., all the kids are making a mess together), yes, she helps clean up. And I check before we leave to ensure that they really did clean up.

If she's the only kid, obviously she is cleaning up whatever mess she made. Which typically does not involve taking off sheets or breaking things.

[julez]

I always make sure that DD helps clean up any messes she made or helped to make. Since she's still little-ish (2.5) I generally pitch in and help.

Justified or not, I'm always annoyed at the mess a group o' kids leaves in their wake after visiting.

[iamgrace]

That seems excessive. I'd be irritated. They'd be cleaning it up for sure.

[hubes]

I always make T help clean up. Usually the messes aren't huge and the mom says not to worry about it, but we do. I even ask him to put away his playground toys at daycare.

I think more supervision at the end of the visit would be a good idea.

[mrsjuleshs]

I have always made DD clean up her mess if she is anywhere and I tell anyone that is over to go clean up. Luckily all of my friends have the same policy and won't leave till it is cleaned up.

[Dezi]

I always make sure that DD cleans up at other peoples houses and when people come over I expect the same. I was occassionally watching my friends kid and she did the same, dumped out all the bins, pulled sheets of the bed etc and refused to help clean so I won't take her anymore.

[imhischeeseburger]

Aug 23, 2012 13:12:12 GMT -5 AutumnRose25 said:

Aug 23, 2012 12:55:07 GMT -5 imhischeeseburger said:

Yesterday they came over and they litterally dumped every bin of DD's toys on the floor, broke a piece of her wooden doll house, and took off the sheets of her bed.

I do think they should have helped your DD clean up her room. I agree with PP's that I wouldn't have playdates at home anymore

If there were at my house again I wouldn't have them play in DD's room, keep them in somewhere that you can keep an eye on the playing and only bring out certain toys

I am wondering though....how do you know the other girls did all these things and that your DD wasn't also a part of it?

Our house is so small that we don't have a designated play area. All of Amelia's toys for the most part stay in her room. She usually brings down a few to the living room during the day, but I didn't want them bringing down toys since our living room is so small. We have the tv against the wall and our L shaped sectional takes up the rest of the area.

I know she was apart of making the mess and I told her she had to clean up her room (I helped her too.) But DD gets mad when anything of hers is out of order I.E. like her bed sheets so I don't think it was her (obviously can't be 100% sure.) And the girls confessed that they broke the part of the doll house.

[picklepie09]

I always make my kids clean up and they do. I have had several friends who do not do this and it drives me BONKERS. I find it very rude. I have on particular friend whose kids literally tear my kids rooms apart. Its as if they are out to destroy the room

[ElizabethBennet]

I absolutely would make DD clean if she was at someone elses house. She is only 19 months old but I would at least be having her "help" me. If I found out my kid did all that I'd be mortified.

[dragonfly08]

It's not unusual for kids to make a huge mess when playing, in my experience, especially if friends are involved.

But...I don't ever leave a play date until I've asked the DD in question if she has helped her friend clean up and, when the answer is no, told her to go do that. Usually we're told not to worry about it, and that's my standard response to friends when they pick their kids up from my house (honestly, it takes two minutes to shove it all back in and I make my girls do it once their friends have left), but I absolutely make the effort and make sure if my kid gets let off the hook by the other parent that they apologize for the mess and say thank you. I also feel perfectly comfortable telling my girls and their friends that "Susie's mom will be here to pick her up in about five minutes, so why don't you girls go ahead and start putting some of the toys away". Works almost every time with few, if any, complaints from the kids. Mine know they're supposed to do it, and I guess most of their friends have had it well reinforced at home, as well.

[statlerwaldorf]

I make dd clean up. She's easily distracted, but otherwise good about it. I've had her help clean even as a toddler by putting her toys in a basket. But I've been accused of being uptight.

I could see taking the sheets off to build a fort. We would do that as kids.

[Deleted]

I always offer to help, but I really don't care if kids visiting my house help clean up.

The room knee deep in plastic is totally worth the two hours of peace my Mom friend and myself got out of it. lol.

[pittsmcgee]

Aug 23, 2012 14:48:58 GMT -5 Que? said:

Aug 23, 2012 14:13:12 GMT -5 cjoy said:

It doesn't really bother me that much. And while I appreciate the offer to help clean, I'd rather just do it myself because I know where everything goes and it'll take me 20 minutes.

And, omg boys. I'm learning that they just destroy shit without even trying.

Yeah, I have a boy and he can destroy just about anything all by himself. It is horrifying when he has friends over.

[Deleted]

Aug 23, 2012 14:48:58 GMT -5 Que? said:

Aug 23, 2012 14:13:12 GMT -5 cjoy said:

It doesn't really bother me that much. And while I appreciate the offer to help clean, I'd rather just do it myself because I know where everything goes and it'll take me 20 minutes.

And, omg boys. I'm learning that they just destroy shit without even trying.

Word.

[EmilieMadison]

Aug 23, 2012 14:13:12 GMT -5 cjoy said:

It doesn't really bother me that much. And while I appreciate the offer to help clean, I'd rather just do it myself because I know where everything goes and it'll take me 20 minutes.

This is lucky, since my kids have totally destroyed cjoys house
But really, this is how I am, and that's what happens at our house, too. Toys are meant to be taken out, multiple kids will make a huge mess. I usually help my kids pick everything up after other kids leave our house.