Toys abandoned in parents room.

Angela Verges | Contributor

Like the story of "The Three Bears," I returned home at the end of the day to a house in disarray. There was a pair of jeans crumpled on the living room floor. A shirt lay in a heap only a few feet away. As my eyes narrowed, I said, “Somebody’s been playing in my living room.”

I continued to the kitchen where a host of dishes ran amuck. A round piece of cardboard with plastic wrap clinging to it hung from the kitchen counter. It was evidence of a frozen pizza demolished only minutes before my arrival.

“Somebody’s been messing up my kitchen.”

I had to get out of there. I ran for the staircase leading upstairs to the bedrooms.

I checked the bedroom of son No. 1. He was fast asleep. When I quietly peeked into the room of son No. 2, his bed was neatly made. I tiptoed out of the room because I believed he was asleep in his homemade cave on the other side of the bed.

As I started to wind down, I dragged myself to my bedroom. I opened the bedroom door and turned on the light. My hair went into shock and I opened my mouth, but no sound came out.

There was a Gatorade bottle on the floor, an empty Pepsi bottle on the dresser, and candy wrappers all around the floor. As I found my voice, I yelled:

“Somebody’s been sleeping in my bed, and he's still there!”

Unlike the story of the Three Bears, my son did not jump from my bed and run. He stayed there cozy and warm until I transferred him to his bed. I didn’t want to wake my son because that would mean the end of my quiet time.

This situation caused me to ponder the question, why are kids so messy and what will get them to clean up? An article on eHow.com gives tips on How to spring clean with the kids on spring break. The tips include the following:

• Make cleaning a game — the kids could choose a project or a room to clean from a list that you prepare. The one who does the best job (not the fastest, but best organized, neatest, etc.) wins a prize.
• Organize a garage sale — schedule a sale for the weekend after spring break. The kids could sell their gently used toys, books, etc. and keep the proceeds.
• Bribe them — yes bribery was listed as OK to do. For example, if the windows are washed by the time you come home from work, the reward is a trip to the movies.
• Allow for fun — plan the cleaning activities around fun activities. If a pillow fight breaks out while cleaning the bedroom, join in.

Your fairy tale could end happily ever after (occasionally) when sprinkled with a little creativity. What are your solutions for motivating kids to clean up?

Angela Verges is a writer and mother of two. She can be reached at awritersdream41@yahoo.com.