Messy rooms are the bane of every parent's existence - and probably every child's, too. After all, who hasn't got in a strop after being told by their mum or dad they have to tidy up their room? Exactly.
Well, a mum-of-three has taken that perennial generation gap/argument to the next level by threatening to take away her daughter's room - which she brands as "disgusting" - if she doesn't start cleaning it.
Posting on Mumsnet, one user explained that her 13-year-old daughter has her own room while her seven and 10-year-old sons share one. But that could all change if her daughter doesn't change her ways:
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She wrote: "I am so sick of dd 13 living in filth. She is disgusting. We are in a three bed house and her brothers, 7, and 10 share. I'm so fed up with her mess that I've told her that if she doesn't sort it out she's sharing with her 7 yr old ds and her 10yr old ds can have her room as he will actually appreciate it.
"I've helped her many times to clean it only for the floor to be covered in crap by the next day. Even worse if I take clean clothes in for her to put away she just chucks it on top of the mess. It's only a small box room so gets bad fast and according to her I'm stressing her out telling her to clean it and it's her human right to have a room for herself.
"Wibu to actually follow through with this?"
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We presume WIBU stands for Would It Be Unreasonable, and our answer is probably not. Especially since her two other kids are sharing. But on the other side of the coin, her daughter is reaching a bit of a difficult age, so for her to share a room with a younger brother wouldn't be great.
Thankfully, we're not the ones giving advice - that's for the other mums on Mumsnet. Although they seem to see both sides of the argument, too.
One user asked: "Aren't most teens messy? Surely making her share with her brother is punishing him, when he's actually done absolutely nothing wrong?".
Another wrote: "You can't expect a teenage girl to share with a younger boy. And it's not fair on him to have to put up with her mess. I would help her clear her room and then it's up to her to keep it tidy after that.
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"I would do weekly checks to help her keep on top of it. But really you should be helping her keep it clean."
Both of which are very good points. But then another mum also had a very good point. They wrote: "If I didn't have enough rooms for each child to have their own, then the child who most deserved it would be getting their own room not the one who was born first.
"I would be worried about making 7 year old ds (dear son) share with her though as hes probably happier sharing with his tidy brother and it wouldn't be fair for him to be punished."
Another pointed out that maybe the daughter should have more respect for the place her mother pays for her to live in: "When she leaves home and pays her own rent then she can do what she wants.
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"Until then she abides by the rules and respects her allocated space in the family home. Her brothers have to share their space so she should consider herself lucky she has a room to herself."
One mother, however, seemed to have a perfect answer, striking a balance between compromise and authority: "I don't stand for this. First time I ask nicely for it to be cleaned.
"Second time, not quite so nicely. Third strike and then I just bag it all up and bin it. And I do bin it. I also don't allow them to eat in their rooms. I got sick and tired or cleaning up other people's mess. I am not staff.
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"Also, I was fed up of feeling like I was trapped living in a shit pit that I pay for. Respect my home or conditions get harsh. We have a tidy home now. And everyone helps out."
Featured Image Credit: woodleywonderworksTopics: Community,