apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Ridiculous.

the article didn't state (that I saw) whether all of the mothers were stay at home, working, or a mix. perhaps houses with stay at home mothers tend to be more tidy, as they have more time to cleam and might also have more time to read with their children? or even if they're working, perhaps the tidy mothers that are more organized in general, which expresses itself in the state of the house, are more organized about their child's education? it may have nothing to do with the physical clutter, but the attitude of the household. if you're lax in one area, perhaps you're more likely to be lax in another.

I think there may be some merit to the theory. I tend to believe that people who live in cluttered environments have a harder time focusing, including children.

however, I also think that the other end of the spectrum is not without problems. households that are too strict and tidy, in which a child is not allowed to make a mess, may stiffle creativity and curiosity and lead to too much time spent with neat toys like video games.

Our house was always messy and chaotic, but my mother read to me constantly. Thus, I could read before I entered kindergarten, and I maintained an advanced reading level for as long as it was measured.

That's just my experience, though.

most of my childhood home was spotless, thanks to an ocd mom who swept the kitchen 3 times per day (seriously!) and made sure we vaccuumed the rest of the house at least twice a week etc.

My room, however, was my nest. A cozy jumble of stuff. Just like my desk at school.

And it was to that desk that I looked when our school guidance counsellor came to impart his knowledge to us that good students had clean desks. As the top student in the class with the messiest desk, perhaps I was the exception to the rule. Or perhaps the rule was false to begin with.

I worked with a guy who was compulsively neat- but could never find his work. My desk was a triple layer mess, but I could find my work. I did better than him at work too.

The last thing parents need is another wagging finger of shame in their faces, delivering the message that they are terrible parents ruining their children for life if they don't also manage to keep their house perfectly tidy in addition to everything else they are managing. Bah, humbug.

I'm messy and it seems that my mind is relatively messy too. I get through life and can read perfectly lol. I'm trying to be more tidy. :P Here is hoping i'll have a reasonably tidy house when we have kids :P Not likely.

I seriously doubt there is a connection. My parents were total pack rats who never cleaned anything. Our filthy house was the gossip of the entire neighborhood. However, my brother and I both excelled in school. In kindergarten I was found to be reading at a 6th grade level. I am now working on my master's degree in library science, and my brother is finishing up law school. The house is still a mess, by the way.