There is guilt involved either way. You either feel like you are missing out on the extra time with your child or missing out on a utensil clean enough to eat your food with.
There has been such a tug on my heart to spend time with my daughter and let the chores go to the wayside. But, I'm starting to change my opinion regarding how I prioritize taking care of the home.
It hit me one day that it is really important for my girl to have an example of her parents sacrificing to make sure that our home (living and work space) is organized and clean. She needs to see us taking responsibility of our things because it will hopefully teach her to take responsibility of her own things when the time comes.
I would clearly rather play with her, and she knows that, so I usually make cleaning a game for her. So that she can help in some way. It typically distracts her for five minutes and then she makes a mess in another part of the house.
I've found that, just like anything, a healthy balance is needed in this area. I can not prioritize cleaning over everything else in my life. But at the same time, I need to know that scrubbing the floor and putting away laundry is a good example, and helpful to my husband and myself to have a fresh space to live in.
As a part of the balance, I have chosen to wait to clean up her toys (with her) until the end of the day. Otherwise, I would be picking up things constantly. My husband has taken over dish duty, so that I can do laundry, cook, and focus on the rest of the house.
Even just 30 minutes a day makes all the difference in keeping our house cozy and comfortable for us to live in. Do you find that it's hard to make cleaning a priority when life gets busy?
Now let's see if we can keep this up when baby 2 comes 😂 (clearly a joke). I'll have to write another blog post on the topic when the time comes!
No comments:
Post a Comment