This article originally appeared on 03.05.22
It’s hard to keep your home clean when you have a child, but when you have four, unless you have a live-in maid, it’s completely impossible. There is no dishwasher fast enough to keep up with the dishes in the sink and no magical point where all four children have it together enough to put their toys away.
The problem is that if you take your eyes off the prize and let a day go by without cleaning up, you’re practically drowning in chaos.
TikTok user and stay-at-home mom Bri James (aka @themessymama4) did the unthinkable and let her home go four days without tidying up and shared the incredible mess with everyone on TikTok.
“I know I’m going to get roasted,” she says in the clip, “but … this is what happens when two really lazy adults have four kids and don’t clean up after themselves.”
The clip shows cutlery on the floor, empty packets everywhere, dishes piled a mile-high in the sink, and clothes and toys strewn everywhere. The house looks like the parents went away on a permanent vacation and left their kids to fend for themselves.
@themessymama4 I will block those who are mean. this is to keep me accountable not for views.
The video was praised by a lot of parents who are tired of seeing mommy influencers with spotless homes and children in matching linen outfits. Finally, there was a mom on TikTok they could relate to.
“I’d MUCH rather see you clean your realistic house than watch another blonde clean an already clean countertop,” Meghan Sanders wrote.
TikTokker Its_not_that_serious put things in perfect perspective. “Dude, at the end of the day all of their fingers and toes are attached and feeling safe and loved you’re doing fine. Someday the house will be clean,” they wrote.
“Having children is mentally and physically exhausting and you don’t always have the energy to clean every day,” Rose added.
But not everyone appreciated Bri’s slice of reality. Some people thought that her messiness was borderline neglectful and that she was setting a terrible example for her children.
“Set a good example for your kids. Make them help,” carleebocciaa wrote.
“Without children = fine, your choice. With children (especially small ones) = completely unacceptable,” ACZOgirly wrote.
Shortly after posting her first video, Bri got to work on the impossible task of cleaning up the entire house. Noticeably absent from the job were her spouse and four children. She appears to clean the entire place by herself.
She showed her cleaning prowess through a series of fast-motion videos.
@themessymama4 my butt does not look flattering in these Walmart lounge pants 🤦🏼♀️😅
Finally, at 9:30 p.m., Bri was done with most of the job, although she still had a bit of vacuuming to do and there were still some dishes in the sink. At the end of the job, she was exhausted. But she got the job done and that’s all that matters. It’s OK to let your house fall into disarray from time to time but eventually, you have to take care of business.
@themessymama4 I’m going to bed now. 🤣🥱😴
We’ll give TikTokker Sannon Martin the final word on this story because she hits the nail on the head. “Your home is exactly like mine,” she wrote. “Some days it’s a wreck and some days it looks amazing. That’s life. You’re doing great!”