Call Kate for Kids!
Hello! I've been missing for a bit but now I'm back. It's been a crazy few months and I'm just ecstatic that Spring is almost here!!
I had the most amazing clients a few weeks back and I'm just tickled to get to share my experience with you. I received an email requesting a consultation. When I arrived I met with a husband and wife that were clearly distraught and very overwhelmed. As they told me their story I began to understand the very reason why they were needing my services. They have a daughter with severe ADHD and possible bi-polar disorder. She needs 24/7 care and on top of both of their careers their lives consist of the constant monitoring of moods and behaviors all while trying to keep their heads and home above water.
Usually when I meet clients like these it's very apparent that they are capable of being organized but their lives don't allow them the energy or time it takes to get there. Their main concern was that their daughter had too much stuff throughout the house and didn't like being in her bedroom. They wanted all of her things sorted, purged and then put back in the right place so that they could help her manage her things better. One thing I had to take into consideration was that if I changed anything in her room, i.e. furniture placement, it could severely affect her in a very negative way. So I made sure that before my team and I were to begin they needed to ask her what things could go and what could stay.
I arrived with my team of 4 ready to get started and the first thing they said was that she wanted nothing to change and she wanted us to just pick up the floor. The mother was having severe anxiety and let us know she was very worried about what her daughters' reaction would be when she came home to her new room.
Jamie and I worked in her bedroom while April and Zoe worked on everything else in the living room and basement. Her bedroom was filled to the brim with stuffed cats and art projects. It was purple and pink and you could tell she was a very intelligent 11 year old with her love of books and the solar system. We discarded everything Dad said she didn't play with anymore. Mom was very sentimental about the clothes that no longer fit and the things she no longer cared for. She actually had to leave for a bit because it was so emotional for her and I don't blame her in the least bit. De-cluttering can be a very sensitive issue especially when it involves someone that is so dear to you.
After 5 hours and all of our fingers crossed we finished. The parents were relieved and I was scheduled to come back the following day to meet their daughter and to go over everything with her. The hours following were a tiny bit stressful because I too was worried about her reaction. We didn't follow her direction and in fact we changed almost her entire room.
The following day I arrived with a tiny orchid as a room warming gift. She was in her room and her parents said they hadn't been able to get her to come out!
SHE WAS IN LOVE WITH ALL OF THE CHANGES WE MADE!!!
I let her use my label maker to mark all of her art supply boxes we had organized in the living room and I showed her exactly where everything went. We came up with a plan to make clean-up easier and she was very proud of her new room.
I have to say this was the best experience I've had with a client up to this point. She was so grateful and newly inspired to be in her little world. I could see the wheels turning in her mind as she thought of all the things she could do now that the clutter was out. Mom and Dad were happy that she was happy, not to mention relieved that it was now all very manageable.
At the end of my meeting with the daughter she handed me a thank you note that she had made for me. This day happened to land on Valentine's Day so it was full of hearts and love. I think it's the best Valentine I've ever received.
Happy Tidying, Everyone!
