I was one. I have a daughter. I have 3 sisters. I have 4 granddaughters. I have 3 nieces. And I know all the really big secrets about teen girls. They are glorious little slobs.
Clothes are left in piles on the floor and hanging out of dresser drawers and closets. There are mostly parents who end up saying "I give up" when it comes to teen girls and their rooms.
The likely outcome is that parents eventually tell these glorious little slobs to close off their rooms when you are having company. This solution never really satisfies the parents completely, but the alternative threats, tears, and trauma are much more dramatic and unpleasant than just closing a door.
The amazing thing is that these glorious little slobs emerge from their lairs looking like the cover of glamor magazines. How they find anything is a miracle. How they get so perfectly "put together" is a mystery! But they manage to do it.
Teen boys are much more likely to be neat and tidy in their quarters for whatever reason. My son and grandsons and nephews are actually pretty organized. It's the girls who are the "hot messes". Almost all of the girls I know, including myself, get their neatness act together in their 20's.
Men seem to go downhill from that point. Or maybe that's just my experience.
It's a good thing teen girls are so gorgeous. If they were not, I'd feed them to the lions.
My friends say their daughters are "hot messes". I was an extremely organized teen. My oldest son was (and is still extremely organized). My younger son was messy. I didn't think anyone could have a messier room than him...until I met his girlfriend. She makes him look neat, ha!
ReplyDeleteI'd never given this any thought before. I'm one of six kids--3 girls and 3 boys. This could have been written about us. On the other hand, my dad's freakishly neat habits never changed nor did my mom's need to pile things on every flat surface in the house. I'm a bit of a mongrel with traits from both when it comes to neat and clean. I need a maid.
ReplyDeleteMy mom was something of a "hot mess" while my dad was a neat freak. Mom always had a lot of "clutter" and she wasn't much for dusting it off if you get my drift! I have minimized clutter to the point that I don't have that much trouble keeping things neat. Okay, I do have a housekeeper who comes in twice a month, but that's mainly for the floors, bathrooms (4 of them), and heavier cleaning tasks. My daughter is now a clean freak, and my son's wife is a hot mess, so I'm not sure where to put any of them in my mental files!
ReplyDeleteSuziCate, you missed out on the glory of having that messy lovely girl child living in your home. My son was always a lot neater than my daughter. Since I grew up with all girl siblings, I know we were all dreadful little pigs!
ReplyDeleteAh yes, the teen girl in full chaotic flight. Tidy her room? Not going there! Indigo x
ReplyDeleteOh yes - so very very true!
ReplyDeleteBut men will pour their neatness into their cars, while women will be able to take care of an entire village out of theirs. Love this. It's like we do a role reversal.
ReplyDeleteRenee, my daughter has turned into a Martha Stewart type with her "perfection". I'm still struggling with the neatness thing.
ReplyDeleteWhen you have a boy and a girl, it's pretty easy to see!
ReplyDeleteI don't think I was ever that bad, but I made up for it by being obnoxious in other ways.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was time to poke my head in again. I am sorry I have been long absent.
ReplyDeleteLinda, I haven't read you for a while, but I still enjoy your posts.
ReplyDeleteThanks for coming by, Kat!
ReplyDeleteNow and then, I like to revert to my teenage slobiness :)
ReplyDeleteOh Merri, you do not! LOL!
ReplyDeleteMy mother gave up on me a long time ago. But I never grew up, so she's probably still rolling in her grave in despair over my glorious slobbiness!
ReplyDeleteOh yes! Now that I am raising two teenage girls, holy hell - I had NO IDEA what slobs they could be!
ReplyDeleteThe only thing that DOES work in this house? They have to clean their rooms & finish their laundry by 10pm on Sunday nights - or they don't get their allowance! Both girls have only messed up ONCE and when they didn't get paid -they sure as hell cleaned up the following week!