Hiring A Housekeeper Isn’t Lazy, Dammit — It’s Smart

She nails why hiring a housekeeper is nothing to be ashamed of

Most parents doing the daily grind — work, kids, cook, chores, repeat — don’t have the luxury of time to themselves. They also feel like less of a spouse or mom or dad because the stress of keeping all those balls in the air doesn’t really lend itself to being a calm and present family member.

That’s why one mom’s tale of having a pro clean her house so she can breathe a little is resonating with parents everywhere.

Leslie Means is the cofounder of the popular site Her View From Home, and she has some very wise and honest words about why she decided to hire a housekeeper — and doesn’t regret it one bit.

She writes, “Today, I paid a stranger to clean my home.”

Means explains that her family isn’t wealthy, that she and her husband are still paying off student loans, shop the Target clearance section, and don’t take many vacations.

“We work a lot. When we’re not working, we’re spending time at kid activities or church functions or family birthday parties. We have two girls who are quickly approaching the pre-teen stage, and one little dude who just turned 6 months old,” she writes.

“We’re tired. We’re so tired.”

We get it, truly. Because what Means describes next is the situation in so many homes. She outlines their busy evenings spent doing homework, handling permission slips, going through the bedtime routine. “And by 9 pm (if we’re lucky) we’re planted on our couch to watch something mindless on Netflix, before our eyes drift off to sleep for another day.”

Sound familiar?

Means realizes her family is in “a busy season,” and they’re happy that way. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t do something for ourselves every once in a while.”

She explains that after noticing handprints on cupboards and a blob of ketchup on a chair from dinner weeks ago, she realized she needed to take action. “I didn’t cry, nah, I know how dirty my house is. But I did laugh. And probably said a word my mother wouldn’t approve of. And then, right there, I made a decision to hire a house cleaner.”

Her reasoning? “Because at night, I’m too tired to do it. And on the weekends, I want to spend more time with the people I love and less time with my broom.”

Hell yes. This is exactly how I feel most weeks, but instead of hiring a housekeeper, I either dig in and clean, which means no quality time with my kids, or ignore it all and bemoan my messy house come Mondays. That’s what makes this mom’s story so inspiring — she actually did something about it.

“Lazy? No. I don’t think so. Smart? Yes.”

Listen closely — any mom who has wondered for a second if hiring a housekeeper makes you lazy – IT DOES NOT. Not in any way. If you’re fortunate enough to be able to afford it, hiring a housekeeper, even just once in awhile to get you back in business, is brilliant.

Because it gives you a chance to actually enjoy those kids you work so hard to take care of.

Means writes, “At this point in motherhood, I’ve figured out what to do to make myself happy, you know? And I’m not ashamed to do just that. Even if that means I have to tighten our budget just a bit more to make it happen.”

“So today, someone else cleaned my toilets,” she shares. And scrubbed the kitchen sink, and picked up the Legos, and dealt with the dirty laundry. Doesn’t that sound like heaven?

“Today, someone else helped this mama find a bit more sanity in her day which will, in turn, make me a better wife and mother to this family I love so much,” she says.

Means tells Scary Mommy she expected some negative comments, but instead, was met with a chorus of women saying they’ve done the exact same thing. “Mothers/women are so often afraid to ask for help when we shouldn’t be. I hope this is a reminder for all of us that even though we are super women (obviously) we deserve a break too!”

A-men.

She ends her post with the best mom advice of all time. “Don’t be afraid to do something that will make your life easier, friend. Believe me – you’re worth it.”