When you have children, keeping a clean house can be difficult. It’s easy to give up or force them to clean only once a week or worse, once a month. In fact, many of them will argue with you about cleaning, and if you listen to them, they often have valid points.

I remember when I was a kid and my parents wanted me to pick up my dirty clothes. I used to argue constantly. My favorite line was “Why should I when dad doesn’t?” The thing is, he was right. My dad used to leave socks and T-shirts and the like all over his room.

There are two ways a parent can handle a situation like that fairly. The first is to listen to the child and allow everyone in the house to make a mess. The second is to follow the rules that they set themselves. I suggest you try the second one.

The first thing to do is to involve all family members in establishing house rules. Sit down and have a family meeting about it. During the meeting, create a chore chart that clearly shows what everyone in the house, including parents, is expected to do. Also, she discusses the consequences for both children and parents if those things are not done.

It’s good to give kids rules, but not if you have a “Do as I say, not as I do.” attitude. It is important to lead children by example. So if you set and stick to family rules, you should have a much happier family and a much cleaner home.