How to Enjoy Doing Laundry

Inside: Not enjoying all the laundry? Here’s how to love it.

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Laundry is one of those motherhood tasks that we wish would just go away. It simply never ends. The laundry hamper is never empty, even if you’re doing your best to stay on top of it.

If we can get help around the house, laundry would probably be one of the first things we’d gladly hand over to someone else. But that’s not always something we can do, so let’s look at how we can learn to enjoy doing laundry.

I was standing in the middle of the living room at the back of the couch, which doubles as my folding station. The kids’ laundry was all around me, it was my fourth attempt at folding it. I folded a few shirts before I heard another, “Mooooom!”

I put down the little shirt I was holding and went to check on the kids. Of course, everything was fine, and I told them not to call me again unless someone was bleeding or throwing up.

I was determined to finish folding that pile

As I reached for another shirt to fold, I had an overwhelming feeling of resentment toward the pile of clothes which seemed like such a burden.

Any time I thought I was caught up on all my household tasks, there was always more kids’ clothes to wash and fold. I spent what seems like hours sorting, washing, folding, but the clothes always end up back in the laundry hamper soon after, and the never-ending cycle starts over again.

Ever feel like you want to gather up all the laundry and just throw it away? I felt like this on that day.

And then something tugged at my heart

I stood in the middle of my living room surrounded by my children’s clothes and held my breath as I remembered.

Only a few short months ago, the clothes I was folding were smaller. The socks were tinier, and the same amount of clothes took less room on the shelf. My baby no longer fit in her onesies, and there were new, bigger clothes for the twins. Their brothers were wearing the clothes they wore last year, and my youngest son was catching up with the rest in size faster than I could keep up.

My children are growing

One day, before I know it, I will no longer have little shorts and pants to wash and fold. There will be no tiny skirts and dresses to iron. One day, I will long for the laundry basket full of clothes with caked-on dirt, shirts with streaks of markers and pants with rubbed-in play dough. Because it would mean that there were little children playing in the next room, waiting for mommy to come and join in on the fun.

I felt like I just saw the future where it was just me and my husband, in our empty nest, trying to adjust to the new way of life. I smiled as I brushed a tear off my cheek.

I felt like I was given a second chance

A chance to enjoy the little things, the meticulous, burdensome things, because it means that my kids are still kids, and my job as a mom is still in full swing.

Enjoy doing laundry while it lasts. It means that there are people living in your house, your people, and you’re taking care of them. Soon enough, the little people will no longer be little, they will no longer need you as much as they do now. They will fold their own clothes, they will cook their own meals, and they will have their own families to care for. Enjoy them now, because soon enough the day will come when you will long for what you have today.