Clutter seems to be something that impinges on modern Americans like no other generation. I wonder if it's not one of those prophesied plagues of the Last Days! Think back to previous generations, when the Great Depression was in full force. People didn't seem to have too much trouble with having too much stuff. They just used what they had and had to make it work.

It would seem that clutter is something modern Americans have come to learn to live with. I'm not sure why we have stuff and hold on to it and there are lots of ideas and books out there about it. Whatever the reason there are two points to understand about clutter.

1. Stuff is not bad; we need stuff to survive. It's setting our hearts on and having too much stuff that is the problem.
2. We need a place to put our stuff. Even if we only had five items, if we didn't have a place to put them, they'd still be in our way.

And then if you have children, the mess gets even bigger with toys, clothes, electronics, and all the other things kids have.

In order to control the clutter and keep it from coming back, we need to understand the Lord's standards. He sets the patterns for how we are to live our lives, for how we are to be happy. He wants us to have things and to enjoy them (See D&C 59: 17-20) but to use them according to His standards of stewardships. When you think about it, everything is Heavenly Father's and He has just loaned it to us so that we could learn to use according to His principles (See D&C 59:21).

Part of our stewardship is to do as the Lord has commanded us to, “ Set in order your houses; keep slothfulness and uncleanness far from you.” (D&C 90:18) So how do we do that? We know that we need to be good stewards, we know that Heavenly Father has given us this earth and all that's in it for our use and benefit (but within His guidelines), so how do we go about keeping it clean — particularly in our own homes where the real test of life takes place.

Divide and Conquer

When it comes to keeping a house clean, sometimes it helps to divide the chores. Everyone cleans up his own dishes except the children who are too young to do it themselves. That means either washing them yourselves or putting them in the dishwasher. That alone would eliminate clutter from the kitchen!

Teach your children through precept and example that leaving things on the stairs or in the hallway or on the floor is not acceptable. That means that if you want your kids to clean their rooms, you need to have a clean room too.

But there are a few things every parent needs to know before letting their children take part in the household chores. These include keeping clutter away, as well as dealing with it once it has built up beyond almost incredible control::

• Let go of having to have things your way. When your children help, make allowance for the fact that they are kids and can't do the job as fast or as well as you can. Don't use their lack of ability as an excuse for your own sloppiness.

• Find out what you really need by taking inventory of your life. Are you a college student, a homemaker, a grandma, a diplomat's wife? Depending on your circumstances at this given point in your life, take a look at what is cluttering you and get it into a pile. Take it to your yard if you have to and sort out what you use, what is junk, and what should be thrown away.

• If you haven't used any particular item in a year (holiday things are the exception), then get rid of it. If you have lots of leftover baby clothes from when your grown-and-gone kids were little, keep little mementoes and give the rest away. If anything is broken and you have no immediate hobby or ability to fix it, get rid of it.

• For the stuff that you decide to keep, there needs to be an accessible place for it. Take a look at Ikea.com or TheContainerstore.com catalogs for ideas on how to store things with style.

Always remember that it doesn't matter how rich or poor you may be. Whether you live in a small apartment or a mansion, God only asks that we do all we can with our given stewardships (See 2 Nephi 25:23).

Clutter is not something we have to live with. There is hope. We just have to pay the price.

More parenting helps are available for free at my website http://www.enlightenedhomemaker.com .