Clean home = good mom

I was driving back home the other day from school and had another mommy for company. As always our conversation started about our kids being how they are and what all they are up to all the time. Somewhere in the middle of it all, she tells me how she cleans and mops all day long and is a cleanliness freak. The first thing that pops out of my mouth is `like wow! Your son lets you do all the cleaning without going on his own little cleaning expedition.’   Too that she coolly replied `No No I tie him up to his chair so he doesn’t come in the way.’ I almost rammed into the car in front of me. She continues, `what will people think of me as a mother when they come home, that I can’t keep the house clean how can I look after a child.’

I was totally shocked hearing this, to the extent I fell short of words and didn’t know what to say. (and that’s quite a rarity). I kept thinking to myself that if she were ever to come visiting me at my place, she’ll probably think I’m some horrible creature who lives in a pigsty. I have a simple rule, no matter how much you clean and mop it’s going to go back to square one in an hours’ time. So keep organizing the mess in bits and pieces at the end of every day, cos in the morning its gonna be the same story all over again. And who judges a two year olds’ mothers’ house anyways??? Some frustrated high- nosed aunty!!!

But anyways going back to the 2 most dramatic statements – how does a clean house = a good mother. And if you say you want to be portrayed as a good mother by keeping your houseclean you tie your child to a chair??