Recently, our son, Gavin (13), mentioned that he had a desire to refresh or more likely reboot his room. Frankly, his room was a bit of a classic hodgepodge consisting of our old bed, dresser and some wall hangings that dated back to his days as a toddler, not to mention a trunk full of stuffed animals.

As a newly minted teen, he was showing the desire and vision for change, so we thought this could be an ideal moment to allow Gavin to build a vision for what he wanted to achieve and, in the process, put his own stamp on his room’s decor.  Plus, it would provide a teachable moment where we could collaborate, learn, laugh and take on challenges together.  (We don’t see this type of effort nor desire put forth everyday, so we wanted to act on it.)

With this in mind, we launched into the project, but beforehand set some basic ground rules:

 

1)  Own the Vision 

Honestly, this was all about Gavin owning the project vision and focus.  In other words, don’t just say you want to ‘reboot’ your room.  Own the vision for what you want it to be and help lead the charge (and change).  We wanted to see Gavin jump in and show initiative, as this is something we struggle with on a daily basis.  We wanted to have him show his interest, desire and follow through for such a project.  By having Gavin articulate his vision – a modern, clean room layout – it provided a solid foundation for all of the decision making during the project.

2)  Outline a budget

We set out in establishing a $500 budget, but to be honest this was a little challenging to hold to.  We ended up on-target for furniture, yet exceeded the budget in paint and equipment.  This was a good lesson on when to make trade-offs and actively keep track of your budget.  Although we exceed budget by +$150, we made an agreement that we’d work it off through chores and doing the painting ourselves.  Sweat equity is a good middle-ground.

3)  Manage the process end to end

This was a fundamental part of the project.  We didn’t want to see the usual approach.  You know, kids jump in with excitement and desire, yet when it comes to the hard work ‘ghost’ go the kids – i.e., parents take over and finish out the work.  That was not going to happen here and we wanted to make certain Gavin was involved front to back.  By holding him to this, I noticed that he was engaged throughout and really making an effort.  Additionally, there was a real desire to finish and get things in order.  In our family, projects can leg out and this was not one of them – front to back it was 2.5 days of work, including painting.

4)  Build the NEW

This was all about, ‘Yeah, you’re in this, Buddy!”  Build it and stage it with us.  This is all part of the process and learning that things aren’t just handed to you.  You’ve got to work for change.  We were pleased to see that this building process was actually somewhat enlightening for Gavin and all of us.  We all took part to build something fresh and new…

5)  Mindful Reflection

I’m always one that desires to reflect and take in our learnings.  Below are some of our learnings, outtakes and pitfalls from the process:

• It’s a process of learning and growing, enjoy every aspect of it, even the epic fails with wall hangings…

 

• Let your child own a majority of the process and vision – don’t impose your view.  This is hard, but key to the process and long-term result.  Also, let them do the Q&A with relation to working with others at stores like IKEA, Home Depot, Sherwin-Williams, as this is key to learning how to pose questions and gain insights into best approaches.  We learned a ton from the Sherwin-Williams rep in relation to statement walls and process.  Prep them in advance and set them loose, it’s the only way to learn…

 

• Set a budget and if you break the budget at least set the framework for how to manage it back or make trade offs.

 

• You’ll see some changes in your child’s treatment of their space and pride in ownership due to owning the vision and process – we’re 5+ days in and the room is still clean, closet shut, yet the jacket is still not hung up… Progress, no!?!

 

• Mistakes happen – learn and discuss it openly – don’t ask me about putting up shelving, as you can see we moved off that disaster in the photos above…

 

• Reflect and grow – discuss how you feel about the space and what you’ve learned in the process – let your child lead the way, just ask the questions and keep asking beyond the “I don’t know” phase – you’ll be amazed what comes out in the discussion…

 

 

I wouldn’t say it was a perfect endeavor, nor without frustrations, challenges and shelving mishaps, yet:

• Did we learn something along the way?  YES!
• Did we see a change in behavior?  YES!
• Did we laugh?  YES!

The collective room reboot delivered a clean, fresh, and owned space (experience). Win all around, as I see it…  Plus, it’s remained clean for 5+ days (amazing).

 

Products used in the ‘room reboot’

Do note this is not a sponsored post, just a family trying to grow, learn and connect one project and day at a time…

 Michael Cary Photography 

illSurge Art & Insight 

The before (if you’re wondering)…

Best with your projects!

Keep on striving to be one with family!

Help your kids grow and evolve through experiences and projects!

Now GO plan and do it!