I’ve shared living spaces with various people—friends, my spouse, and now, my husband and two young children. Throughout this journey, one truth has become glaringly obvious: I’m not a great housekeeper.
While we aren’t living in squalor, there’s always a bit of clutter around. I lack that obsessive compulsion to scrub every surface at all hours. If I’m walking barefoot and find a stray crumb, I don’t leap for the broom. I aspire to maintain a home that sparkles, where guests exclaim, “Wow! Your place is spotless! What’s your secret?” However, reality hits hard—having kids makes this aspiration feel utterly absurd.
Keeping a pristine home while raising small children is nearly impossible. They have a remarkable talent for creating chaos. No matter how clean they were when they went to bed, once they wake up, they somehow manage to get dirt everywhere. The moment they step into the kitchen for breakfast, it’s as if they’ve invited a whirlwind of mess.
I do my best to keep things tidy. I keep disinfecting wipes handy and try to wipe down surfaces regularly. I even created a cleaning schedule to ensure that no corner of my house is neglected. But my kids? They couldn’t care less about my meticulously laid plans. They seem to have an uncanny ability to sense when I’ve just cleaned a room. For instance, if it’s Monday—bathroom cleaning day—you can bet that by Tuesday morning, everyone will suddenly need to use the bathroom, and of course, that involves a messy clean-up afterward. It’s like they conspire against me.
Maybe your children are less prone to bathroom emergencies, but they still create messes in their own charming ways. Picture this: your little one sweetly asks for an orange while you’re trying to tackle laundry. You agree, thinking they’ll eat it at the table. But no! They take a bite and immediately dash off to wash their hands, leaving sticky juice on every surface they touch. Before you know it, the floor becomes a sticky battleground, and ants start calling for reinforcements.
And even if there were no food-related disasters, there are always toys scattered about—those delightful wooden blocks that grandparents love to buy. While they are wonderful for development, they also become instruments of pain when you step on them in the dark. It’s a guarantee that the one block I miss picking up will find its way under my foot.
I’ve never excelled at housekeeping, but I’ve always made an effort. Now, with kids in the mix, I’ve thrown in the towel. I’ll worry about cleaning when they’re grown and out of the house. Until then, if you visit, wear shoes, and just pretend that the damp spot on the couch is nothing. I know I do.
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In summary, trying to maintain a clean house while raising young children is an exercise in futility. Embrace the chaos, and remember that your home can be a loving space, even if it’s not always spotless.