the messy home – a mama’s archnemesis

We mamas are strong. There’s no two ways about it. If our kids are in danger, even the most timid and soft among us would walk through fire. I really don’t know why capes aren’t in fashion yet but I think we should bust them out now.

On the other hand, even Superman had kryptonite. There are a few things in a mama’s life that stand as worthy opponents – the kids’ manners, the snarky family members, the online shopping sprees. But of all these things, one thing will always stand out as a mama’s archnemesis: the messy house.

Oh man. We fight it so hard but it somehow always wins. It ticks us off so bad but we are never able to conquer it. The laundry, oh the laundry, the infinite number of toys that seem to go forth and multiply, the kitchen that still stinks even when we’ve searched far and wide for the culprit. We stand before it and look up at the giant staring down at us and feel like we have absolutely no chance at victory. We feel powerless, destined to fail.

Why? Even though we’re constantly cleaning, always moving, barely slowing down to catch our breath, how come it seems like we have nothing to show for it? Why are we consistently failing at this?

The answer lies in an assumption we make: in order to be successful, we must keep a clean home. It’s simple yet, well, impossible. I’ll tell you what that’s like. That’s like digging a hole in the sand by the seashore and walking back and forth with a bucket in an attempt to move the ocean into the hole you’ve dug. Sounds foolish, doesn’t it. It’ll never happen. By the time you walk to the shore, the sand in the hole will have soaked up most of the water in the hole. And let’s face it, the ocean is just way too big.

The good news is that the ocean doesn’t belong in the hole. The mistake is in thinking that it does. Mama, a messy house does not mean that you are a slob, it means that you have children. It means that your children have things to play with and play means development. It means that they are fed and clothed and thriving. When a mama fights to keep a super clean house all the time, something often gives – it might be her sanity, her health, her sleep.

This is what I’m telling you mama… If your house isn’t clean all the time, then you’re making the harder, right-er choice – the choice to let the laundry go a little further than you’d like because feeding them takes priority. The choice to let the toys clutter the room because you NEED to drink a tea for Just. Ten. Minutes. I’m not saying to not clean ever. I’m saying if you’re making a consistent effort, let the rest go. It’s okay.

So look around mama. Take a deep breath. And accept. You’re doing your best and your best is awesome!