How to Convince Your Mom to Paint Your Room

If your room is still painted just as baby blue as the day you came home from the hospital or you’ve grown tired of the preschool wallpaper decor, it might be time for a change. However, you’ll have to get mom on board with the idea before making the transformation to a young adult’s room. Remember that your mom might not immediately jump on board the project or your color choice, so be willing to make compromises when you’re choosing a paint color; black walls are dark and gloomy and if you change your mind later, they’ll be difficult to cover up.

Do your research. If you’d like to change the color scheme of your room, take a look for a good reason why a mother would want to accommodate your wishes. For example, particular colors can influence your mood, thoughts and even your energy level. For example, the color red can enhance energy levels, which might help you stay more alert for homework, but might be too stimulating for a bedroom environment. While bright yellow can be an energizing color, when present in large amounts -- like all over your walls -- it can incite feelings of anxiety. A soft, warm blue or purple can be appropriate bedroom choices, demonstrated scientifically to lower blood pressure, respiration and heart rate, encouraging calmness and serenity. Green can be used in any room in the home because it is calming, can relieve stress and is considered a restful color for your eyes.

Keep your room neat and tidy. If you have to clear the pigs out of the sty to paint the room, a mother might not feel inclined to spend the money on paint that will soon be covered up by piles of dirty laundry, garbage and old school lunches.

Offer to help out. If you’re willing to invest the time and effort necessary to clean, prime and paint the walls, your request might be taken more seriously. The extra set of hands also eases the burden of the paint job on your mother. If your mom knows she’ll have to do all the work, one glance at her busy schedule could guarantee your room isn’t getting a color makeover any time soon. You can contribute by packing up and moving the contents of your room, helping to tape off baseboards, laying drop cloths and then helping with the painting as much as your mom is comfortable.

Help to offset the cost for the paint and supplies. You can demonstrate your commitment to the task by offering to pitch in half of the price from your own money or, if you don’t have money to hand over, offer to work off the cost in chores around the house.

Make a commitment to keep the room clean after the painting is complete and then follow through on your promise. Your responsible behavior will not only show your mom that you appreciate the mini-renovation, but will also demonstrate that you are acting maturely, making her more likely to consider additional requests in the future.