How many times have you walked into your child’s room and told them to pick up only to find out later that all they did was shove the stuff into the back of the closet? This area is really important because, according to feng shui principles, this is associated with are connection to emotions and our connection with self. For children, especially, this area needs to be under control! 

 

One of the biggest mistakes that I have seen parents commit is placing their own belongings or household ‘stuff’ into the closets in their children’s room. The thought is that “Billy/Susie doesn’t need a whole closet, so we’ll just store the holiday paraphernalia/luggage/out of season clothes/extra linens, etc. up there”. That is a really bad idea. De-clutter those excess things, and open up room in your own closets instead of taking over your kid’s areas! By removing your things and allowing your child their own space, you are allowing them room to grow, and our kids need this.

 

Statistics say that we wear twenty percent of our clothing eighty percent of the time and you know this is true with our children! (I’ve seen my daughter wear her same ‘favorite’ t-shirt 4 days out of a week!) As parents we need to let go of clothing that our kids just don’t wear. I know how hard this is. We want our children to look adorable and beautiful all of the time, but that just isn’t reality. Edit down the amount of clothing that your child has in the closet and you will be doing both of you a huge favor.

 

Next, understand that most closets are not user friendly at all, and this goes double for kid’s closets! The majority of parents should seriously consider a closet system. They have become very popular with adults, but really work wonders for kids’ spaces! We fuss at our kids to hang up their clothes, but never notice how difficult it is for them to do that! It is very hard for small children to hang up their clothes if they can’t reach the bar, so even if you can’t afford a whole system, you can purchase a bar that automatically doubles the usable space!

 

A child’s closet needs to be child-friendly not only for appearance sake, but also so that kids can learn to take responsibility for the care and keeping of their things. This is a great lesson that their future spouses will be glad they learned at home!

 

 Using the two bar system also allows some floor room for baskets or bins and added storage of books or toys.  

 

Remember some simple closet “DO’s”: 

·         Keep your things out of there!

·         Make the closet child-friendly

·         Make sure the light works

·         Add a second bar

·         Use baskets/bins for floor storage

 

If you choose to follow these easy tips, you’ll be going a long way towards keeping the boogey man out of the closet!!

Blessings,

Lori