Read in Parents: https://apple.news/A0of1yZZCTwmigh1vYMDPdQ
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About two years ago, Marie Kondo's Netflix Tidying Up popularized a genius space-saving folding hack.
One mom has another idea: Save time and frustration by not folding your kid's clothes at all. She posted about it on TikTok and, while Netflix may not have contacted about the video yet, it's already racked up more than 2.6 million views.
"Normalize not folding your kid's clothes," starts Courtney, who posts as @playroominspo on TikTok, as a sped-up video of her putting laundry away plays. "I timed putting these clothes away, and it was four minutes. So much better than clothes piled up for days waiting to be folded…I don't even pair socks. No-fold system for the win."
Some parents were amazed. "We can do that? Why did no one tell me!" one person quipped. "Oh, this is the parenting I'm here for," said another. "I don't even fold my clothes," one person commented
Not everyone was positive. "Lazy people just say, 'Normalize this' in front of anything they don't want to do." But others quickly came to the mom's defense. "But their mental health was better, and they all lived happily ever after. Both can be right and coexist for each parent," one person responded. Another added, "Normalize not doing things that aren't a big deal if it makes life easier for you."
And one mom summed it up perfectly with a message to all the nay-sayers: "I respect this 100 percent. A childless friend said it's toxic how moms try to appear perfect around other moms. Why not relax and do what works?"
Amen to that. Moms constantly get told to "enjoy every moment" and that "babies don't stay small forever." It can be hard to enjoy your baby if you spend your life worried about whether your child's dresser looks Pinterest-perfect. And loads of laundry only add to the invisible load mothers in heterosexual relationships carry. You know, the one where mom is more likely to plan, worry and execute things around the house, particularly to-do's involving kids. If not folding your child's laundry reduces that load, then more power to you.
On a personal note, between a husband, two dogs, one cat, and a son, I barely have time to brush my hair, let alone fold laundry. I haven't folded baby clothes in the 14 months since my son was born. He's doing just fine, and his clothes aren't even wrinkled. And if they were, who really cares?
If it's a choice between saving time and having a perfectly organized toddler dresser, I choose time—no offense to the KonMari method enthusiasts out there. Maybe one day I'll nail that folding hack or come up with my own and get a Netflix series and book deal out of it, but not today.
