How a Messy Home is Good for Your Kids

A clean house makes me feel like a good mom. 

 

If my house is under control, I feel like so is rest of my life and motherhood…even if reality reveals otherwise. I love the idea of maintaining a catalog perfect home where if a pillow is moved off the couch it is put back with the utmost care by the offender. Dreamy, right?

 

But there will be plenty of time to shoot for an all-the-time-tidy home when these kids are gone; because, right now…

 

…a messy house also makes me feel like a good mom.

 

 

The mess tells a story.

 

The stray Cheerios and tiny drops of spilled milk from my kids pouring their own bowls of cereal speak of my children learning to be independent. The fort my boys spent hours on (especially the inside) shows they are developing their creativity. The mess from my children bouncing around the house in play is evidence that my sons are bending, jumping, and moving; their bodies are growing stronger. The toys, play dough, Legos, and games remind me that my kids are building important fine motor skills, comprehension, and understanding. As they strategically booby-trap our home with Spy Gear, they develop problem-solving and reasoning skills. And in it all, they grow their social skills. The crumbled lime green curtain on the ground behind me that you cannot see in this photo…

 

…well, I am actually not sure of the benefit of pulling down curtains. (I didn’t even ask how it happened. Sometimes I just…Don’t. Want. To. Know.)

 

But the rest of the disarray reminds me that as my children create and imagine, they also learn. Karin Bilich from Parents Magazine explains in her article The Importance of Play: 

 

“Play allows children to use their creativity while developing their imagination, dexterity, and physical, cognitive, and emotional strength,” according to the AAP report. It allows children to explore the world, practice adult roles, and gain confidence. And it improves children’s social skills as well, by helping them to “learn how to work in groups, to share, to negotiate, to resolve conflicts, and to learn self-advocacy skills.”

 

The mess declares that our home is alive with learning and growing. It tells the story of an education that happens informally in a place where kids can be kids.

 

The mess declares that our home is alive with learning and growing. It tells the story of an education that happens informally in a place where kids can be kids. #parenting #raisingkids #momlife #motherhood Click To Tweet

 

So even though I like clean, I like messy too.
 

Fellow momma, grab your cup of coffee and settle comfortably in the mess. And if the mess starts bothering you – like it can me – just remember…

 

if we didn’t let them make a mess, how would we ever teach them to clean up after themselves? 

 

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These storage units make living room clean up easy

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