The Glass is Half Empty When it Comes to Housework

I despise cleaning my house. I think I hate it most because it is a never-ending task. I like things I can cross off my list. I need that moment of satisfaction, knowing I did something.

It’s done.

But, with housework, it is never done. You can catch up on laundry, but unless your family is having a naked day, foregoing the use of towels or showers, you are already at least a load behind as soon as you are “done.”

I can’t keep bathrooms clean in this house, either. Again, unless you quit using them, you’re stuck cleaning those at least every other week, minimally. The kitchen? Ha, that’s messed up at least three times a day. No way to keep up on dishes and scrubbing, as long as you still eat there.

I hate the endlessness of it all. You can never be totally done. So, I do what every mom does, and try to figure out a routine to it all. I try to divide and conquer. And, yes, I even try to get the family to help.

For one, I want my kids to have responsibilities. Part of it is, “I had to do it when I was a kid so … “

I hate cleaning, and my husband is terrible at it. He means well, but he just doesn’t really get the job done.

In my quest to forever make our children at least a tiny bit better than we are as parents, I have dedicated my chore list to trying to get my kids more involved. To be honest, it doesn’t directly (at this age anyhow) benefit me a lot. I often have to go back and re-do what they’ve “helped” with. Occasionally it even ends up with more of a mess than we had to start with, but I’m still going to try.

I especially hope to teach my son how to wash dishes, laundry, scrub bathrooms, dust and organize. Someday, somewhere, I hope there is a future wife thankful for my efforts. If I can only create one man capable of actually helping his family clean, I’ll have done my job in life.

I’ve found along the way a few chores the kids can assist with and actually cause beneficial results. Sure, they can put toys away now. They are 3 and 6. They generally get the concept of “toy in box.” But, we’ve tried to advance a bit past that.

My 3-year-old daughter is pretty good at laundry. My least favorite part is switching loads and folding, largely in part to bending over repeatedly until you want to throw up. With a small person capable of reaching without the bending, it makes my life a little easier. And, she loves to “help.”

My son is still too small to walk our over-powering pooch. He likes to dust and does a fairly decent job. I’m anxious for the days when he can at least collect and take out the trash, but he’s still a bit too short to open the can and hoist an over-sized bag into it.

Ironically, my husband has the same cleaning limitations. For example, I could have him do laundry, if I want our sweaters to all fit the 3 year old and all of us to have pink socks and underwear. So, even with a “grown” adult, I have to limit which chores are his.

I’m still trying, every week, to perfect the chore list. I’m forever trying to find constructive ways to get the family to help, but also find my house in a clean enough state to call … well, clean.

Do you have any suggestions? What makes your house stay tidy? How do you dole out the work routine? I’m all ears and would love any suggestions you can share here in the comments. And, no, I can’t afford a maid to do it all. But, boy would I love Rosie the Robot.