The Cave

I've just been though the mess of the cave again with TJ. It again ended up with her in tears. I can't beleive what I find in the mess. Lolly wrappers from lolly bags, the empty lolly bags from birthday parties, pencil sharpenings from where she decided to sharpen her pencils on her desk while she was doing her homework many moons ago, bits of barbie or bratz clothes, books, pens and the list goes on.

The thing that got me most was the little torn bits of paper. The little messages. More mess. She has been asked constantly for at least the last 8 weeks, since Grandma cleaned it last time for her, to clean it up, and all she has done is cry about it and shove things in the corners, under the bed, on the desk or in the shelves. I am trying to get through to her that this is not the way to live. To be respectful of her things. That I didn't go and buy her nice things for her to treat them this way.

How can I justify getting her more nice things when she can't look after the things she already has?

It makes me sad to make her sad. I know those little scraps of paper mean something important to her. She just needs to keep her cave clean.