Adjusting to life as a mom is difficult for anyone, but for moms with a Type A personality, it can be downright sanity altering. I’ve learned to mostly laugh my way through the chaos, but sometimes it feels like my family does things just to see if I’ll break. My kids are like little torturers, testing the limits of my sanity and regularly putting a check on my perfectionist personality.
The Baby’s Morning Routine
My ultimate goal is to finish getting ready for work before the baby is up, but sometimes he wakes up early or I hit snooze too many times, and I’m left with no choice but to let him entertain himself while I finish getting ready. It doesn’t matter if he’s in the room for 5 minutes or 30, he always incorporates a deconstruction of my bathroom cabinet organization to his routine. His favorite pastime is spreading tan towels and tampons all over the floor. Go figure.
Daily reorganization of cabinets.
Cleaning Up Toys
My toddler is very good at taking Every. Toy. out of the cabinets all at once. And on weeknights we’re on such a tight schedule that I found myself waiting until after she went to bed to clean up. But in an effort to have her pull her weight (and, you know, teach responsibility and stuff) I started asking her to clean up after herself. And it never fails–she always leaves one or two pieces out. I can’t decide yet if this is sloppy worth ethic or an intentional effort to drive me crazy. She’s pretty smart. It might be the latter.
There are ALWAYS a few pieces left out.
Helping with Chores
I love that my kids want to help me with laundry, unloading the dishwasher, cleaning up the dinner table, and other chores around the house. I want them to grow up to be capable, responsible kids and adults. But re-folding the laundry six times, and looking for dishes that ended up in the wrong place drives me bonkers. And when “clearing the dinner table” looks like this? Well, you might as well send me to the loony bin right now.
When their “help” creates more work.
Phonics
Don’t get me wrong, I was completely floored and totally excited that my three-and-a-half year old was learning to read and write. But my kid just isn’t into the whole left-to-right-in-a-line thing. And the circular writing would be so cute if it wasn’t so infuriating.
I mean, great writing skills, but why can’t it all be on one line??
Support from Spouse
It’s bad enough when the baby wants to “help” with the laundry by taking all the clean laundry and throwing it on the floor or unfolding everything I’ve folded, but when your spouse offers to help and you find a lovely little surprise the next time you open the linen cabinets, you remember why you choose to do all the laundry yourself.
Can you guess which quadrant was “folded” by my spouse?
Finding a balance between my perfectionist needs and both allowing and asking for family support in household maintenance is one of my greatest parenting challenges. What do you perfectionist parents do out there when it comes to help around the house?
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