I try to teach good habits to my kids, things that will help them have a better and easier life, like the Morning 5, and things that will grow them spiritually, like taking an active part in our morning family devotional.  Even a daily walkabout to clean up their things around the house is a good habit, though I admit it’s not targeting the core issue: they still leave things out when they are finished with them.

Since our kids were out of the high chair we taught them to carry their dishes to the sink… immediately cleaning after themselves.  But the general concept of putting away toys/crafts/the tiny-pieces-of-paper-they-just-shredded (why do they do this?) IMMEDIATELY when they are done… it’s just not a habit.  In fact, I’m pretty sure that despite my urgings, it’s not even a passing thought in my kids’ minds.

So yesterday I decided to start “Make-a-Habit”.  Supposedly it takes 21 days of repeating an action to make it stick, so I figure 30 days oughta do the trick.  And if we focus on a new habit every month, we’ll have aquired 12 new habits at the end of a year!

Yesterday I deemed November’s habit “clean up after yourself.”  Actually, I tried to make it a little fun: Put Everything In It’s Place, or PEIIP.  We’re pronouncing it “peep” for the sake of having an image as a reminder to keep up the habit; yes, I made little Easter peeps with construction paper and taped them around the house.

Amazingly, the kids are completely on board.  I think it helped that we started with a clean house, and I made two promises:

1. If everyone keeps up with this habit, we will never have to clean the house again.  Having our house on the market forever (and having to clean for showings and open house) this was a big sell.  I added the disclaimer that we’d all have to still do chores, but it didn’t seem to damper the effect of this promise.
2. At the end of the month we’d have some sort of victory celebration.  I’m hoping to make some homemade marshmallows in the shape of peeps, and since sugar and a movie equal a celebration according to the kids, it should be pretty easy.

I’m not laying this all on my kids, by the way.  The primary factor in teaching your children is by example, so I’m making sure that I “peep” every single thing.  Believe me, they’re watching.