I have a confession to make: I have become a desperate housewife.
I always assumed a life domesticity would be easy for me. After all, I’m known for being organized bordering on anal and consider myself an amateur epicure who enjoys time spent in the kitchen. So when I became an at-home mom almost four years ago, I mistakenly assumed that once I got the whole mothering thing down, I could easily transform into a domestic diva.
The truth is, as soon as our little girl Madeline arrived, I easily fell into the rhythm of motherhood. To my surprise, mothering came naturally. Somehow or another, those maternal instincts kicked in, and I just knew what to do. But I soon discovered being a mom was far more fun than being a housewife. It turns out that the Martha Stewarts of the world don’t have it so easy, and I’m not referring to Martha’s past imprisonment.
Read the rest here.
Kate, I loved it – and it made me smile, because I guess it represents the thoughts of countless mothers struggling with the care of young children and of a house.
Sometimes I tell myself (a mother of a 3 and a 2 y-o) the same things: I’m here to be their mom, and the rest is the icing. But I have a nagging suspicion that this might be my excuse for neglecting the tasks I like the least. After all, our daughters will learn from us how to keep a house, how to clean a sink, how to win laziness and dust all those endless shelves. If we don’t do these things cheerfully, what will we teach them? I’m afraid housework is not icing – it is a labor of love, just like cooking, ironing, etc, that we take up for the well-being of our families – that’s part of the way we serve them (and in helping mom, that’s how children have the opportunity to serve, too). Of course you’re right when you say we shouldn’t become obsessed, but I’d say we shouldn’t be so careless about it either, lest we find out one day that our children have learn a wrong lesson from us (and by careless I don’t just mean letting the chores pile up, but also the way we do them)
Completely agree, Anon. It’s all about balance. Since I tend to be Type A, I can get carried away with the cleaning – not because I enjoy the process, but because I am a perfectionist and like things to be orderly. However, I realized that saying, “Not now,” to my little ones over and over just so I can make sure the counters gleam and the dishes are back in their proper place immediately after a meal is going overboard! :)
God bless!
thanks