We moved our 13 year-old back into her room upstairs after she gave up the space so that another family could move in while they were without a place to live. Let me tell you giving a teenager an independent space sounds amazing on paper, but without systems in place, it turns into a disaster really fast. So we have put organizational systems in place, I’ve helped her work through a morning and a night routine for herself so there’s less for her to think about. And of course, I created her her own cleaning schedule. This is one I created years ago, but she’s never had her own copy up here. And I think being able to see everything, check off what she’s done, remind herself of what needs doing every week or every day will really help hold her accountable and keep her on track. Just like with any person, you move into adulthood and you really don’t have any idea how to care for a home yourself. You’re not given a manual. You’re just given the keys to a house and told, “good luck”. It’s the exact same for your child. If they don’t have guidelines to follow, they will inevitably fail. I’m really excited to see how she keeps up with her new routines and schedules on her own and I’m grateful we have the space for her to practice independent living before she becomes an adult and moves out for good! I’ve included the schedules I created for her below in case you want to snag them for your own home!

-Aud