Keeping on top of the chores can be a challenge, especially if you have kids at home. It's so important that the pressure isn't all on one person.
Staying on top of housework is a challenge for so many of us. It can feel extremely overwhelming to simply keep things afloat. It doesn’t help when social media is awash with photographs of pristine homes, making it difficult to avoid comparing ours to the ones that resemble show-houses.
I think deep down we all know that we simply cannot do it all and be it all, but we really try. Most of us go through phases of putting huge amounts of pressure on ourselves and we fail to accept the help that is being offered.
When the help is not being offered, it can send us into a dark place where resentment takes over. This is the danger zone because it is no longer a simple case of feeling stressed about house-work. It starts to impact our day to life and our relationships.
So, how important is it to delegate the household chores? Well, as it turns out, it’s extremely important for several reasons. Let’s start with the basic fact that there are only so many hours in the day.
If those hours were solely spent focusing on housework, then you would more than likely tick every single box on the to-do list that day. There are so many other things that require your attention, though. Children must be fed, work requires doing and most importantly FUN should be had.
At the same time, it is important to note that so many of us struggle to relax or enjoy ourselves when we are surrounded by mess. This is where the delegation comes in.
Delegating household chores is a necessity. Rounding the troops will lighten your load as well as teaching the kids a great deal about responsibility and the way a household works.
Delegation can feel a little bit more complicated when it comes to your other half. It is often a zone where both parties express themselves in a defensive way. It doesn’t matter who is working outside the home and who is a stay at home parent (if there is one), it’s the mere suggestion that someone might not be doing enough.
These conversations can lead to conflict, which is the last thing anyone needs. This is especially true when the goal is to reduce stress. It is unrealistic to split chores down the middle in many households because life is not as clear cut as this.
Taking a black and white approach to the matter may in fact add stress rather than making things more manageable. For example – I am home all day, so it makes sense for me to do the laundry. It means that I can hang them out and make the most of the good weather. It would make no sense to purposely leave it until my husband gets in from work in the evening. The bins, however? They are absolutely his gig!
While it can feel difficult to communicate it, it is important to speak up when we need help. A household cannot function without everyone pulling their weight. In some instances, the help might be directly with the kids, so it frees up time to get other things done around the house.
In other households, it works really well to have specific jobs that each person does because everyone knows where they stand, and it doesn’t become a constant topic at the dinner table.
The goal is to come to an agreement before it becomes an issue that breathes resentment from all parties. Sometimes, the whole family needs a reminder that everyone benefits when the home runs smoother! Teamwork can mean less work all round and more time to enjoy each other.
