Housework Doesn’t Come Natural to All Women

I’m not Superwoman!  That is a fact with which I had to come to grips.  I do get a lot accomplished in a matter of a day, but there is one area where I truly struggle: Cleaning!

Now, that’s not to say that I DON’T clean… Just that it doesn’t come easy for me.

In today’s society, unfortunately, being a single parent isn’t rare.  There are thousands of parents across the country who take care of their children, excel in their professions, and manage their households like the bosses they are!  I’m just not one of them.

Last semester, I worked myself ragged. I would wake up in the morning, get my daughter dressed for school, drop her off, get myself dressed, go to class, go to work, drop my daughter off at gymnastics,  come back to finish my work, pick her up from gymnastics, and get home around 8:00 p.m.  After being out of the home for 12 hours and sometimes having homework to do, who wanted to do housework? Certainly not me!

And because we’re always on the go, we often eat on the go.  This means I’d have empty bottles, fast food bags (with empty wrappers inside), changes of clothes, and extra shoes all in my car. If I’m wearing heels for the day, I have to have a pair of flats with me and vice versa.  I usually clean out my car on the weekend… IF I am not in it, going somewhere else! As for the empty bottles and food stuff, that’s usually removed once I stop at the gas station.  But if I don’t have to stop at the gas station, it can stay in my car until I empty the rest of the items.

Now, inside my house is a completely different ball game.  I FORCE myself to clean up, usually after things have gotten to the point that I can’t take it.  And that limit varies from time to time.  Sometimes, I can’t stand to see anything out of place.  Other times, I’ll let my clean laundry completely cover one side of my bed because I just don’t have the time or energy to put it away.

I was talking with Monique Jordan (my coworker) about this and told her that if I have somewhere to go, I can try on 13 different outfits before deciding what I want to wear.  Of course, by that time, I’m running late for wherever I’m supposed to be. So, I’m NOT taking the time to put up those 13 outfits before I go.  When I get back, it’s time to start preparing for bed. Those clothes might stay on my bed until Saturday morning.

I have other family members who are the exact opposite.  They’re neat and never have anything out of place. Oddly, they’re so proud of me and how I balance the majority of my life when in all actuality, I feel like a failure when it comes to the basics of life, almost like because I’m not the neatest, I’m less than a lady.

And you know what’s crazy? As much as I hate to do housework, I have no problem doing yard work or a renovation project.  I’ll tear out some carpet, paint walls, trim hedges, etc. long before I feel the desire to hang up a dress. Don’t get me wrong, there are some areas where there is no negotiation: cleaning the kitchen and bathrooms!  Those have to be done.  Not cleaning the kitchen or bathrooms isn’t just lazy, that’s nasty!

I know some are probably wondering why I’m sharing this.  TMI, you might say.  Well, the fact of the matter is that people often hold people in the public eye to a higher standard.  They think that because we share news and sometimes give our opinions on other people’s lives, we either have ours all together or that we think we have ours all together.  That’s simply not the case. We have flaws.  I know I do… At least until that machine that folds clothes is available for purchase.