Homeschooling Chronicles - The Cleaning Dilemma

When I reread the fairy tale Cinderella, now as a mother and home-schooling parent, it makes me think the stepmother might have gotten a bad deal. When money is tight, and there's not a lot of help around, there has to be a way to achieve Cinderella's accomplishments in the Grimm Brothers fairy tale without becoming a wicked stepmother. A clean house, and an organized space, are necessary when the school room is at home.  

The fifty’s housewife had a sparkling home, baked homemade cookies and provided a hot meal for dinner, all while wearing heels. As a homeschooling parent in 2010, however, I work in my bare feet and pajamas while solving math problems. The scenarios are different, but my expectations of the perfect home haven’t evolved. I often wish that everything had its place and its place was its home. This quaint adage may sound sweet, but it’s bitter to swallow when you’ve got to find homes for workbooks, projects and text books. 

I’ve tried the cleaning one thing a day. It works for a while, then we have a field trip or some activity, and the schedule is disrupted. Today’s chore gets moved to tomorrow and soon it  is forgotten, and its been forever since the house got dusted. I’ve done it on the weekends, a different method, but the same outcome. I even tried hiring a housecleaner. I figured the cost was worth it. Enough commercials told me I deserved it, so I finally took the offer, believing it to be true. While my wallet was thinner, the kids didn’t feel the pinch. However, it was clean for a couple of days, then the children took back their space, and their stuff was strewn in every room.

I tried being a drill sergeant and policing the family. It grew tiresome to be the bad cop and never the good one. I retreated and waved my white flag and resigned to living in filth. Maybe the kids would start to pick up their things when they realized they liked a clean home. The plan was foiled by my tactical mistake in believing children care about those things. 

That was when I realized that maybe they were on to something. I didn’t want to live in a museum, yet I wanted my home to look like one. I adjusted my eyes and saw it wasn’t that bad.  Yes, there might be toys out and the beds weren't made, but there was laughter and activity going on. While my house might not get the Martha Stewart mark of approval stamped on it, it does the job. I decided to make cleaning fun as well. We might take part of a day off from studying and time how fast we could clean. I might pick up things in the morning before we start school. No one way works all the time. So if you stop by for a visit, you might find us in the middle of a science experiment and the kitchen looks like it already exploded. I’ll open up a bag of cookies and let you enjoy the show for free.