My dad arrives in Madison tomorrow, and I've spent the past 3 hours cleaning house and (as a true testament to how dirty the apartment was) I'm not done! The s.o. will take over cleaning duties tomorrow morning. Nothing like the last minute!
During my 3-hour cleaning frenzy (amidst bopping around to tunes on the iPod), it dawned on me that I did the same thing when my mom visited. Why do I feel the compulsion to clean my heart out before my parents visit? One reason is that I don't see them all that frequently. Dad lives in the mountains of Tennessee, while Mom lives in Raleigh, NC. A visit to Madison is a once-a-year occasion. But perhaps the more relevant reason is that I don't want them to think I'm irresponsible. At what age do we stop feeling so much like our parents' child and more like an adult that our parents happen to know? What is it about parents that always make us revert back to child status? Let's face it: their opinions matter, their approval matters, and we want them to think that the life we've carved out for ourselves is a healthy, CLEAN, and productive one.
Does everyone else go through the same thing? Perhaps if I lived closer to them and visits were just ordinary, I wouldn't completely care if there was a tiny layer of dust on the bookshelves. But not tonight. Spick-and-span is the tall order!
And all the while, Scout sleeps. So helpful, that darned cat.
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1 comment:
so true so true...I am worried if even a cup is sitting on the counter when my parents or in-laws come over.
BUT...their houses are not always clean and when I am over and I do not mind it. What is the deal with that!
I guess I want a clean house if anyone comes over. I always have this secret worry that a ton of people will decide to have a suprise "pop in" when my house is a complete disaster. Would that not be a nightmere. I mean I am a pretty clean person, OCD at times, but I am not perfect!
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