***Nerd Alert*** For my birthday I asked my teenage daughter if I could organize her clothes with her for my birthday present. I know it sounds like exactly the opposite thing most people would want to do on their birthday, but I’m not most people, so I loved it!
Organizing Her Clothes
I’ve been wanting to help her declutter for a while, but I also want to respect her space and give her a chance to be a normal messy teen. Things have gotten out of control in the past months so it was time.
When we started out every drawer in her dresser was crammed full and many of them held things like books and papers. Things that had clearly been stashed when the room needed to be vacuumed.
Before we started organizing we pulled all of her clothes out to see what we had. I had her pick the 10 shirts she liked wearing. Same with pants, socks, etc. She also saved the dressy clothing she actually wears. Some items got put in an “I’ll decide after I wear them one more time pile.” Which was perfectly fine because there weren’t too many in the pile. When you’re helping your teen organize clothes it’s helpful to give them some boundaries and let them work within those boundaries. Always remember that relationships are more important than things so compromise is a must.
Without forcing her to get rid of anything she got rid of over half of her stuff. She had lots of clothes that were hand-me-downs that got put in drawers without making a decision about whether or not she actually liked wearing them. She has TWO mostly empty drawers now! I was not expecting to get that much extra room in her dresser.
The Rest of Her Stuff
We also went through her hanging clothes and edited out the stuff she doesn’t wear. She organized her papers, jewelry, books, and craft supplies. Her craft drawer was full to the brim. We took out the projects that she was no longer interested in doing anymore and voila lots of space to see and find the projects she is interested in.
Sometimes it feels like we’re losing important things when we declutter, but we’re actually clearing away the extra. It took some time and energy but now she can easily find what she uses and loves.
For more tips about organizing with kids read Organizing Papers and Toys with an 8-year-old and Organizing With Teens. If you want one-on-one help organizing a space, call Colleen at 208.736.3306 for a free consultation. I’d love to help you on your organizational journey. Virtual options are also available.