Okay, so here’s the thing. If you’ve ever stepped on a Lego at 2 a.m. or spent 15 minutes trying to clean glitter off the kitchen floor, you’re probably shaking your head and wondering why in the world I’d let my kids make messes. The truth is, I used to be the mom who would run around after every meal, picking up crumbs, wiping down surfaces, and making sure everything was in its place. But then something clicked. Maybe it was because my kids were getting older and I was starting to really value their creativity, or maybe it was just the endless piles of laundry finally getting to me. Either way, I’ve embraced the chaos, and you know what? I’m a lot happier for it.
I’ve got three kiddos—Jenny, Lincoln, and Molly—and let’s just say that, together, they’ve mastered the art of mess-making. Between Lincoln’s science experiments (aka a random assortment of “ingredients” all over the kitchen table) and Molly’s crafting sessions that leave glitter trails for days, my house can look like a disaster zone in about 30 minutes. But I’ve learned to let go.
You know what happens when you let the mess happen? Magic. No, seriously. Letting them get creative with their messes means that they’re exploring their imagination, testing their limits, and learning things they won’t get from a worksheet. I could never have predicted how much joy I’d get watching Molly cover her hands in paint as she “paints” the walls with all the enthusiasm a kid can muster. I could’ve said, “Nope! That’s too much!” and ruined the fun, but instead, I let her go for it. And guess what? She was SO proud of that mess afterward, and I didn’t even mind cleaning up a bit of paint (okay, maybe a lot of paint) because of the joy in her face.
Same goes for Lincoln’s science “projects.” Sure, there’s some mess involved, like flour everywhere or water spilled all over the kitchen counter. But guess what? He’s learning about cause and effect. He’s experimenting. He’s thinking. And that, my friends, is way more important than a clean kitchen. As for Jenny, well, she’s mostly trying to get out of chores, but I’ve learned to let her make some messes too. Maybe she’s in her room, crafting something for a school project, and there’s a mountain of paper, glue sticks, and markers scattered across the floor. But she’s being independent, working through her own ideas—and that’s a skill I can’t take away by stressing over the mess.
Here’s the kicker: when I stopped worrying so much about the mess, I felt freer, too. I’m not running around like a crazy person, trying to keep things spotless (because let’s face it, it’s impossible with three kids). Instead, I’m focusing on what’s really important: spending time with my kiddos and encouraging their creativity, even if it’s at the cost of a little extra cleaning later.
At the end of the day, we all know that the mess will get cleaned up eventually—whether it’s me doing it, or my kids pitching in (ha!). But the memories they’re making, the skills they’re learning, and the pure joy they get from creating? Totally worth it. So yeah, I’ll take the mess. I’ll take the glitter. And I’ll take the happy, satisfied faces when my kids are proud of what they’ve made.
And hey, if you need me, I’ll be the one over here trying to scrape paint off the floor while sipping my coffee. Maybe next time, I’ll just let it be part of the art.
