Over the last month or so I’ve noticed plastered all over my social media feed, parents arguing that they are better parents because; they either have a spotless home or I believe the saying is “excuse the mess the children are making memories”. This really pushes my buttons, neither of those things make you a better parent. Neither of those things mean your child(ren) are making memories. I know some parents who have spotless homes and their kids are miserable, I also know some parents who have spotless homes; and their kids are far from miserable. The same thing goes with the messy home parents, I know some kids that are happy; and other that are miserable. I know I’m not the first to point it out, so why is there so much hate from both ends? Everyone’s situation is different, you have no idea what the parent(s) is/are dealing with.
To the people with immaculate homes that hate on the parents with “messy” homes;
Maybe the parents are busy with their kid(s) in extra curricular activities and they don’t get home till later. Maybe the parent is a single mom or dad, and they would rather spend time with their kids(s) then make their house spotless. Maybe they have more than one job and they don’t have the energy to make the house spotless, because what little energy they have left they would rather spend on their kid(s). Maybe someone close to them has died, or their dealing with a special needs child(ren). Maybe they have a mental or physical illness. The list could go on, don’t assume that just because they have a “messy” home that they are lazy.
To the people with “messy” homes that hate on the parents with immaculate homes;
Maybe the parents aren’t home till later,because their kids are in extra curricular activities.
Maybe the parent is a single mom or dad and pays someone to come clean their home for them, so they can spend more time with their child(ren). Maybe they have a special needs child(ren) and they need the home spotless for the child(ren). Maybe they are stressed and they deal with it by making sure their home is clean. Maybe they have a mental or physical illness that requires them to have a clean home. The list could go on, don’t assume because that their homes are clean that their kids are not making memories.
Personally we are in the middle, some days we have a clean home and other days our home is messy. I’m a single mom and I work the night shift. Usually I get home from work I’ve got to get my oldest ready for school, and the other two usually want to stay awake because it’s morning. So sometimes I don’t feel like cleaning up the dishes in the sink, and other days I do. On my days off I don’t always feel like cleaning up, and other times I do. That doesn’t make me a better or worse parent.
Bottom line: instead of judging other parents on the cleanliness of their home, everyone should mind their own business. As long as the kid(s) are healthy, happy, safe and there isn’t any bugs or rodents in the home; it shouldn’t matter.