I don’t keep house like my mother did. I most certainly don’t keep house like my grandmother did. Yet, when I walk into my house, I feel that it is a safe, clean, and functional space. Yes, the clothes may be shoved into drawers rather than ironed and folded. Yes, the sinks may sometimes be dirty. But overall, my house looks the way I would like it to look, and it looks like people live there.
In the past few weeks, I’ve heard two interesting comments from mothers. One was from a woman I had just met. She mentioned that in order to do volunteer work, she’d decided to quit housework. The other was from my mother. She worked full time when I was young, and I remember that she spent every Saturday morning cleaning the house. She said that she wished she’d spent more time parenting and less time cleaning.
Yes, your house can feel like it needs so much work, so much of the time. It can feel like a chore that never ends, and indeed it never does. But you know what else is an ever-shifting and much more enjoyable process? The things that you love. Your children. Your spouse. Your volunteer work. Your crafts, garden and hobbies. At the end of the day, what do you remember? You remember the lovely bike ride with your children, not the scrubbing of the sink.
You’ve probably heard the story of the professor who entered the classroom with an empty jar and various sizes of rocks. He placed the big rocks in the jar, and they filled it. He asked if there was any space. There was very little, but he placed some small rocks into the jar anyway, then asked again. The answer again was no. He managed to pour some sand into the cracks between the gravel, then asked again. The answer was no. He poured some water into the jar, and then it was well and truly full. The moral? Put your big rocks in first. Put the things that are most important into your life, and then everything else will flow around them.
How can you keep a clean house without as much stress?
Use chore time as teaching time. Pick something that you love, and do it with your children. Love baking? Enjoy scrubbing the sinks? Maybe your young children would like to do that with you. As a 3-year-old, my daughter was very partial to washing things.
Overcome overwhelm. Find a simple cleaning strategy that beats your cleaning procrastination. Whether it’s 15 minutes of cleaning every morning or a whirlwind clean with the kids in the evening, do it, do it quickly, and move on with your life!
Simplify. I don’t wear things that need ironing, period. I try not to bring a lot of clutter into the house, so it doesn’t need to be cleaned. What could you do?
Lower your expectations. Choose what aspects of housework make you feel like your house is really clean, and do those. Do the other ones sparingly.
Outsource. Get your kids involved in chores, get your partner involved, and share the chore love. After all, it’s everyone’s house!
And this Mother’s Day, remember: perfection is not necessary. For most people, house cleaning is not a top priority, even if it feels like it should be. House cleaning is necessary to keep a clean, safe house and to keep your sanity so that you can find things. So today, even if you’ve got a messy sink, go out and enjoy some time with your family.
Image Credit: lusi