Five Daily Habits Every Boy Needs to Learn Before He Becomes a Man

If you are already a Man, developing and maintaining these habits are guaranteed to make your wife or girlfriend very happy. If you are a parent raising a Boy, help him to develop these habits now so that they are well-ingrained in him by the time he moves out.

 They’re not difficult tasks, nor time-consuming, but they will make a world of difference.

 ONE: Once a day, after using the toilet and before flushing, wipe down the toilet bowl rim with a wad of toilet paper. Then use a cleaning wipe to wipe the floor around the base of the toilet.

            --These two areas can get really nasty really fast. But a little daily maintenance can make the job of whoever is assigned to clean the bathroom weekly a little easier and less disgusting.

 TWO: In the morning, before leaving the house for the day, clear your bedroom floor. It isn’t necessary to put everything back exactly where it should go (but you can if you want), but just clear the floor. Put stray items into a designated bin to be sorted out at the end of the week or when you have the inclination.

            --A clean floor makes the whole room and house feel cleaner, and may just save your wife’s (or mother’s) sanity. It also makes it easier for the floor to be vacuumed regularly.

 THREE: After eating, clear your own dishes. Scrape off excess food into the garbage (or disposal if you have one), then place the dishes into the dishwasher if possible, or on the counter next to the sink.

            --Makes the job a little easier for whoever is washing the dishes that night. I say place the dishes on the counter versus into the sink, because for me personally I don’t like having dishes just thrown helter-skelter into the sink as I just end up having to rearrange everything before I can wash them (but I currently don’t have a dishwasher so am washing everything by hand).

 FOUR: At the end of the day, when you undress, place your clothes directly into the hamper, or hang or drape neatly if you plan to wear them again. If there are use-again clothes that have been draped or hanging for more than 24 hours, put them away in your closet. After a bath or shower, hang up your own towel back where it belongs. Put your shoes somewhere out of the way so they don’t get tripped on.

            --There is no quicker way to make a place look untidy than by throwing around some old laundry. And it takes hardly any more effort to hang up a shirt than it takes to drop it on the floor. But if you don’t take care of your clothes yourself, no one else is going to want to have to handle your used laundry—at least not until it’s time to actually do the laundry.

FIVE: If you generate a piece of trash (gum wrapper, clothing tag, etc), dispose of it properly right away. And while you're at it, if you go to throw something away and the trash can is full, empty it out.

            --Litter is bad enough on the street. Who wants to deal with it in their home?

That's it. As a mother of three boys (so far), I plan on beginning to develop these habits in my own sons NOW. They're still pretty young, but it's never too early to start, and my oldest is definitely old enough for most of these (maybe not taking out the trash yet).

I need a good picture now so I can put this on Pinterest haha...