If you have a kid in college like I do, you know the end of May means your house — and heart — becomes “full” again.
For me, that only happened five days ago (thanks to a great NCAA men’s lacrosse tournament run that sadly came to end at the Final Four round).
Having H home is mostly a joy. I’ve written about this for the past few years (here and here), explaining how he brings a certain energy to the house. He also brings more noise, laundry, and mess.
Having a full house means having a cluttered house and, to be honest, it’s stressing me out. The laundry room is overflowing, the doorway is littered with shoes, lacrosse gear is overrunning the garage, and the kitchen trash and recycling bins are always full. And don’t get me started on the state of the family room couch cushions.
I love having my boys home at the same time, really I do, but the mess … It’s not for me.
As anxious (and frustrated) as it makes me, I’m trying to remember that in less than twelve weeks, my youngest will leave for college and we’ll be a family of three again. Then my oldest will leave and we’ll be a family of two for the first time ever — and that makes me remember what’s important.
I’m not promising that I’ll never lose my shit over the next few months when I trip on their shoes for the upteenth time or have to clean up the counter after they make a snack, but my goal is to try to keep it to a minimum. Like once a week … Although once a day might be more realistic.
Just being honest, like always.
— LJDT
