My House is Their House, Too

I must remind myself that my kids live in my house. Perhaps this sounds like an overly-obvious statement.  Of course my kids live in my house.  Where else would they live?

Yet, I don't always act as if my children live in my house by how I think about it.  Admittedly, I often want my house to look as if kids don't live in it.  I want order, not disorder.  I want couch cushions on my couches, not propped up against one another as walls to a blanket-topped fort.


I want an open expanse of carpeting that isn't littered with plastic figurines.

 

I want books neatly lined up on shelves, not tossed in piles on the floor.



I'm not going to get the consistent type of order that I crave -- at least not for many years -- because I have kids and they live here.  It's their house, too, not just mine.  We exist together.  They must clean up their toys, but I must learn to be at peace when things aren't pristine.  There will be hand prints, shoes piled at the door, and unfinished puzzles that deserve to stay out until they're completed.

I'll miss their messes when they're gone.

My house is their house, too.

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7 comments

  1. Thanks for this....I think I will join the kids on the floor, and worry about vacuuming later... ;)

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  2. That sounds like a very good choice, Sharlene. Thanks so much for sharing.

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  3. Interesting perspective, but I feel like they need to pick things up once playtime is over. I think limiting how many toys they can have out at a time and limiting the amount they own, helps. My parents would always say "you have an hour to clean this up--whatever is left on this floor is going straight to Goodwill!" They'd even get out boxes marked "Goodwill". I don't think I ever cleaned a room faster than when they brought those out. :D

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  4. Oh yes, I'm in agreement with you: I also have my kids pick their toys up when playtime is finished. It's just sometimes playtime isn't finished by the point when I'm itching for things to be clean. ;)

    That Goodwill box would have spurred me on to clean like the wind, too.

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  5. Yes. Being messy is the cousin of difficulty in locating items, so keep your house organized to keep an organized life, Robin. :) It's showing a good example for the kids, too. Remember, an unorganized area that is left in the same condition may become cluttered with trash over a period of time.

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  6. Thanks for your comment, but please understand that this post isn't discussing how I'm living a cluttered life.  I'm not.  I'm simply living a life with young children, and that means messes happen.

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  7. Robin, you have a good point in your reply to Louie, but I think Louie only meant to give advice. Anyway, kids will always be kids, and they could be really messy at times. It just can't be helped, but it would be best if you teach them to be responsible of their own things, also as part of their own personal development.

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