I'm pretty certain I lack the clean gene. At any given moment, there are dirty dishes in the kitchen, coats and boots piled by the front door, and schoolbooks and legos strewn about the living room. I'm not sure the last time the kitchen floor was scrubbed and I only know the toilet is clean because I just had to wipe it after some nameless boy broke the "no standing while peeing" rule.
To be fair though, I don't think my house was this messy before I had kids. It's got to be their fault somehow.
I have farmed out nearly all the chores with the exception of laundry, and they still don't get done, even if I threaten no snacks until they're done. The trouble is that the cleanliness only lasts about 45 seconds.
Add a construction zone to the mix and I have just about given up. Last week I started taking down 2009 Christmas pictures. (Now, before you go and think that I'm really slow, let me just say that I leave my cards up year-round. I was actually ahead of the game - taking down old cards before I even got any new ones.)
The trouble is, that I realized quite quickly that all the cards were dusty. And the cabinet they were taped to was full of cobwebs. So, I did a most natural thing I could think of - I started wiping them off the ceiling.
A minute later, my eldest son asked, "Is someone coming over?"
I replied, "Do you think I only clean if someone's coming?"
The sheepish look on his face revealed the awful truth - that is exactly what he thought. Oh dear. I'm officially teaching my kids how to live in a messy house. I don't believe this is a good thing.
Do I get crabby and start throwing things into piles and take toys away and generally go berserk, or do I just succumb to the blatant fact that I should just never, ever have company over again? Well, at least for another 13 years, when the last of the messers is hopefully out of the house.
Consider this your invitation to drop by uninvited - in about September of 2023.
2 comments:
I think we actually clean better when we know someone is coming over!
We have 3 kids in our family, 2 teens and my baby, who is 12 (Josh). They all know how to clean and are capable....but they are somehow under the impression that it is the mom's job to clean. I don't think the realize I work full time. I do tell them that I do. And they see me leave every morning. And I get home after them. Maybe they think I am out with friends all day or doing things for myself....
I don't think my house will be clean either until my youngest moves out!
Maybe I should start inviting someone over every other day or so... Would I have a clean house or would I just be a nervous, stressed and crabby wreck? ;)
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