Does your house look like a tornado picked it up and shook it? If you have kids, you know what I mean! There’s clothes on the floor, and toys, and books, and schoolwork, and - OK. You get the idea. As you probably know if you are a parent, children have that mysterious tendency to drop what they are doing at a moment’s notice and move on - and I do mean literally DROP.

I blamed it on my husband’s genes (he will always drop his socks exactly one inch to the right or left of the laundry basket, but never, ever IN it) and so I suffered in silence for years. Then I realized that I kept a flashlight by the bed not for emergencies, but for when I needed to get up in the night for a sip of water, because I was afraid of mutilation of my feet by a Barbie shoe or a Matchbox car.

So I invented the Monster Maw. I made a big sack with a drawstring out of a large piece of furry brown and green fabric, and hot-glued yellow triangles of felt around the opening for teeth. I added scary eyes made out of more felt, and introduced my children to my new friend. “Hey, Kids, meet the Monster Maw!”

My husband began crawling around on the floor with it, and growling. He started picking up the kids’ stuff and putting it in the bag! I told the children with a smile that they would now be visited by the Monster Maw every night at an unknown time. Any toys or clothes eaten by the Monster Maw would be put away for one week, at which time they would have the chance to earn them back by performing a special chore.

I would keep a list, and if a toy was eaten by the Monster Maw more than twice, it would be forfeit! Same for items not redeemed within one week. The kids stared at us like we were out of our minds, and ran to clean their rooms and rescue there most precious things. By bedtime, the Monster Maw had nothing left to eat, and within the week the kids had the rest of the house sparkling as they earned back their belongings!

It actually worked really well, and made the kids’ job of keeping their rooms clean much more a priority to them! The Monster Maw hasn’t made a visit in over a month, and my kids have learned how important it is to pick up after themselves.  ☺
Sarah P.

1. Nick O, August 3, 2008:

   My wife made me read this one and we are SO getting the Monster Maw. Have you thought of mass marketing it? I am NOT kdding!!!

   Nick