Thankless Tasks

I could live my life quite happily without ever folding the laundry.  I also know I would be unhappy if there were piles of clean, but unfolded laundry strewn about the house or heaped up on the bed.  I have been in homes where that is clearly what happens.

As I folded laundry today, I thought that I can understand women who avoid the task, but I also cannot understand women who avoid the task.  (I say women, because, let’s be honest….not a lot of men do laundry.)  Folding the laundry is not inspiring.  It is not creative.  No one has ever thanked me for doing it.  And, the job is never finished.  The laundry basket or hamper which is empty this afternoon will by nightfall have the day’s dirty clothes in it, and the cycle begins again.

There are a lot of thankless tasks in housekeeping.  Cleaning the bathroom isn’t fun.  Dusting isn’t fun.  Picking up toys isn’t fun, and neither is trying to teach the kids to do it themselves.  Changing the bed linens is a monotonous routine.  It may be fun to cook a lovely meal…that can be creative, and one might even get compliments…but cleaning up the resulting dishes is a downer.

So why do any of this?  I have heard it said that it is much more important to spend time with your children….that they will never remember whether or not your house is clean.  I don’t agree with this.  I think kids do remember whether or not they grew up in chaos.  Could they find a matching pair of socks?  Was the shirt they wanted to wear a wrinkled mess in the middle of the heap?  Were there so many dirty dishes stacked in the sink that they couldn’t get at the faucet for a drink of water?  Were they embarrassed because I friend came to see them and there wasn’t a chair available to sit on?  I have been in a home where something was stacked on every chair except for a folding chair at a card table.  I’m pretty sure kids remember these things, or that the disorder is even built into their personalities.

I spent a lot of time with my children.  I enjoyed playing games with them, reading to them, going for walks or bike rides, taking them to playgrounds, teaching them to bake…and…I did teach them to fold the laundry.  I don’t go around inspecting, so I suppose they may have decided it is just too much trouble, but so are lots of other things in life that are worth doing.

Somewhere there is a balance between work and play.  “All work and no play make Jack a dull boy.”  I’m afraid that all play and no work make Jack a slob, and it is probably a sign of depression.

So…if you’re reading this instead of folding the laundry….