Confessions of a Challenged Housekeeper

CONFESSIONS OF A CHALLENGED HOUSEKEEPER

For many families with young children, especially when all parents are working, the day-to-day housekeeping becomes second to the immediate needs of the family. Many household chores become neglected because other issues suddenly become more important, such as helping with homework, coordinating the next day’s schedule, or arranging daycare. For a family of a child with special needs, housekeeping is an even bigger burden, as the needs of the child are so great.     

As a working mother fighting a twelve-year battle against guilt for no longer having a super-clean home, I have decided to take a more humorous, yet introspective, look at housekeeping to ease my mind. After a day of literally clearing out the dust, I sat down late at night and penned these ten humorous ways (from personal experience) to determine if someone is a challenged housekeeper.

You Know You Are A Challenged Housekeeper When...

1. Your son writes graffiti in the dust on the piano.
2. The dog refuses to drink from the toilet bowl.
3. Friends miraculously appear after cleaning day.
4. There's more hair on the floor than on your dog - and your dog's a Samoyed.
5. Your six-year old changes his bed sheets without a complaint.
6. You were shocked to discover the microwave inside isn't supposed to look like a Jackson Pollock painting.
7. You tell the handyman/woman regrouting the shower stall to purchase black grout.
8. The cable company technician instructs you on how to dust your TV screen for a better picture.
9. A professional cleaner refuses to clean your home without a disclaimer and hefty deposit.
10. A cleaning supplies list dated 1997 was found behind the refrigerator you just replaced.

Posting these on the refrigerator made me smile, which really did ease my guilt in not having a model-clean home. So, I hereby challenge all busy moms and dads to look at housekeeping in a different light. After all, what's more important, your kids or a spotless house?

You, too, should post these on your refrigerator to chuckle at when the cleanliness guilt trip hits. But most of all, remember to hug your family, laugh a lot, and enjoy life -- preferably outside.

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