Data from Statista shows that over 9.2 million families in the U.S. have children between the ages of 3 to 5 living in the household as of 2019. Moreover, a recent study from the Pew Research Center shows that the United States has the world’s highest rate of single-parent households out of 130 countries and territories.
First-time parents would agree initially that it is hard to actually do anything with kids. One of the things that become a little harder when you have small children is cleaning the house.
Essentially, parents have to battle between two major problems when taking care of small kids. One is finding that energy to clean the house. The second is having enough free time to do any cleaning.
While it seems like a Herculean task to get everything in order when you have little children around, it is not impossible.
1. Learn to Manage Expectations
If you are the type of person who is quite meticulous about tidying, now is the time to revisit your definition of clean. Doing so is essentially giving yourself a huge favor. There is no need to stress over how sparkly clean your pace is.
Nonetheless, this piece of advice does not mean it is okay to be a slob. You still need to keep a level of cleanliness in your house. As long as it is tidied, not necessarily gleaming, you are all good.
2. Establish a Cleaning Routine
Establishing a cleaning routine makes it easier for everyone, including your partner and anyone in your household. Like with everything else, it might take some time to figure out what cleaning routine works best for you, and it is okay.
For some people, the cleaning routine works best in the mornings; for others, it is during the evenings. Whatever it is, strive that your cleaning routines become a habit. Doing so makes it natural for you and your partner to follow through.
Having a daily cleaning routine helps minimize clutter so that your weekly or monthly cleaning routine takes far less time.
3. Share the Responsibilities
In this age where everyone is expected to juggle everything — career, family, and relationships — it can be tough.
Sharing the load with your partner goes a long way in keeping your home environment a healthy, clean, and tidy place. While it is not necessary to divide the responsibilities 50/50, it is helpful to always divide and conquer tasks to make them easier to handle.
For instance, if your partner handles the laundry during the mornings, you can help dry and fold them in the evening. If one of you is skillful in the kitchen, the other could take care of the dishes.
Nonetheless, if you are a single parent, you can also ask for help from others to share the load. Other than hiring a nanny or help, you may enlist a family or friend to help you out from time to time.
4. Master the Art of Efficiency
Mastering the art of efficiency simply means knowing that everything in the house has a place, and everyone should know the place for everything.
As easy as it might sound, ensuring that it is properly implemented in your household can be difficult. Nonetheless, the first step to it is to make sense of the place for each item. Afterward, everyone in the family should know these places for every item.
For instance, it makes more sense to place the coat rack near the door. Another is placing the laundry basket beside the closet. Doing so makes sure everyone places their dirty clothes where they belong.
5. Learn to Multitask
In this more hectic day and age, multitasking is not something new. If you are a stay-at-home parent, rather than loaf around while your kids are napping, why not spend it decluttering your living space? While you shower, use that time to scrub the surfaces of your bathroom tiles.
6. Get the Kids Involved
Lastly, giving your growing kids responsibility for household chores is crucial. Not only will this mean unloading some of the tasks in your hands, but you are also teaching them valuable life lessons that they will carry throughout their adult life.
Start small. Perhaps assigning them the duty of storing their toys back in their designated boxes after playing. As they grow older, you may give them the task of cleaning their respective bedrooms.
Inculcating these small responsibilities teaches your kids accountability.
Aside from making sure our kids grow up in good environments or neighborhoods such as Manor Lakes, it is also our responsibility to ensure our kids grow up to be responsible adults who contribute to society.
