Sweet Chaos

This started as a comment on Deborah's NYC mom blog post about shopping and de-cluttering.

My comment: A note on piles, when they are completely gone you will be living in the sterile environment of those magazine layouts. When the kid's artwork and schoolwork disappear, so do the kids. They grow up and out and then you can have 'order'.

I love the idea of de-cluttering to an extent, but there is something about all the stuff that carries with it the essence of family. A clean room signifies the absence of the teen. Having a college kid I am thrilled when I peer into her room while she is home and see a scattering of her belongings on the floor. I never thought I would be so happy to see a mess.

This is the sweet chaos of family life. The muddy dog prints across the floor you just washed, the overflowing recycling bin, yes a few dishes left in the sink even if the kids know better. When the house is perfectly cleaned and organized there is something missing. A crucial ingredient that makes us, as mothers, tick. It is what makes our homes living spaces and not domestic museums.

That ingredient? Our families!

Don't get me wrong, I would not want to live in a terribly messy home, but one with the signs of everyday family life is just fine for me.

Original 50-something Moms Blog post. Posted by Amy Zimmerman. Amy also blogs at i could cry but i dont have time and leaving the zip code.