Running Through Sprinkler = Bath Time and Other Secret Shortcuts from Real Moms

Redbook

By Charlotte Hilton Andersen, REDBOOK

Underwear. Toilets. Rotten sippy cups full of milk ticking like a stink bomb under your couch. Some chores are non-negotiable. But there are others that while it would be nice if the little tray the silverware sits in was impervious to crumbs, aren't the end of the world if they don't get done. And let's face it: With kids, things are always a little crazy. When it comes down to spending that extra summer daylight outside kicking down dandelions and catching frogs or housecleaning, you can guess which one I pick. At my house, it's changing the sheets that slides to the bottom of the priority list. Do they really need to be changed every week? Really?? As you can see from this list, we all have something we let go:

"We skip bath time a lot. There's always an excuse. In the winter: "It's too cold to make them take a bath." In the summer: "They were just swimming, so they got a good rinse." We haven't done a daily bath since our son was around a year old, and now we just go by whether there is visible dirt and what percentage of the body it covers. More than 50 percent = bath." -Robin S.

"I just throw all their socks in one drawer. I figure making them match them is good for their cognitive abilities. And if they don't? When you're little, mismatched socks are still cute." -Laura C.

"Ear cleaning can sometimes be overlooked. Also, I consider running through the sprinkler bathing." -Tyler S.

"When the kids throw up in their sheets...that's when I change them." -Jill H.

"My kids sleep on top of their bedspread so they don't have to make their beds!" -Kacy M.

"Who needs matching clothes? It's not worth the fight." -Allison T.

"I hate scrubbing their shower/tub out.......HATE IT!" - Camille H.

"I let their rooms get messier than they should be...I just get so tired of fighting with them all the time!" -Michelle S.

What's the mom chore you let slide?

Charlotte Hilton Andersen is a mom of 5 and the author of the book The Great Fitness Experiment: One Year of Trying Everything and the blog of the same name.

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