Does anyone else feel added pressure when a kid’s play date comes over? I have…ummm…. alluded to the fact I sort of hold back on house cleaning duties unless there is a reason to do it. Suddenly this morning I am running around like a loon cleaning. Why? A 5 year old is coming over.
My house isn’t unhygentic…well…not TOO horrific….but it is cluttered. There is a couch that is sun weathered and shredding. There is sand, crumbs, Lego and Polly Pocket shoes flung around the floor. There are hand prints on most glass surfaces. Does another 5 year old give a crap what the house is like? And the answer…yes….yes they do. They do and in my experience they are also very likely to point out your flaws and question your every motive. Wow, you have a LOT of dishes in your sink! Mrs. K you sure have a LOT of laundry…and it smells. What’s with all the dirt here? Why is this so sticky? At least other house guests have the discretion to lie to me…and claim they didn’t even notice the three story high pile of recycling by the door. The play dates are never so kind.
So I am very grateful to my 5 year old home inspector. She is lovely and just critical enough that it got me moving this morning. I am both showered and not stepping on ankle deep Goldfish crumbs….we did not stick to the kitchen chairs on residual maple syrup from breakfast. She may report back to her mother about my coffee consumption, but I don’t think she’ll worry her kid was in an actual Crack House.
Have no fear though….it’s not like the house is still tidy. I think the mission of this play date was to bring all the downstairs toys upstairs and everything from upstairs is shoved under the bed. I certainly won’t be having a hour wondering what it is I should be doing. But at least for the next few hours I won’t stick to the floor.
