If You Can't Clean Your Own House...
Today's Montell Williams show featured families that were hoping to get onto the Clean House show to help transform their pig-sty-style homes into much cleaner and organized homes (details of today's episode are here).
I'm sorry, but I was particularly disturbed by the family who not only lived in but complete clutter, but utter filth and wanted to get on the show because they were looking to adopt a baby.
The woman even acknowledged that no adoption agency would give them a baby if they saw their current state of their home.
Excuse me?
You want someone else to come in and fix your house (a temporary solution), so you can get a baby? People who live in filth don't suddenly become clean because someone else cleans up their house.
Now if people want to be messy, so be it. As I ranted about this a few moments ago, someone pointed out:
"I hear you, but as a chronically messy person, I must say I'm a good mom. Just not a good housekeeping role model."
I can accept that, but if someone is trying to adopt a child and have to mislead the agency into thinking they're something they're not - that's where I have a problem.
Or maybe I'm just an unreasonable person with neat-freak tendencies??
posted by Alice at 9:46 AM
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4 Comments:
People like this drive me nuts. To live in that kind of filth, there must be something deeper going on and no matter how clean your house is, you'll still have those issues to deal with. What's not to say they end up in the same filthy pig sty after they get the baby? I feel sorry for their future child.
On the site for Montel's show, it says this:
"Niecy Nash and her team confront the causes of clutter and help homeowners whip their house into shape."
"Confronting the causes of clutter" is invaluable training for anyone with a clutter problem. *raising hand embarrassedly*.
Now, as for the adoptive hopefuls, unless their home is a certifiable biohazard, (i.e. - rotting food, vermin, pet droppings, and more) but is just messy, then getting their house in order is a good thing.
Also, with this kind of notoriety, don't think the powers that be will be unaware.
Some of the info on the show's site says it has turned around the lives of past recipients. The problem most messies have is creating a place for everything. It's a skill that comes naturally to SOME people, but to others, like me to be honest, it's like an alien language and culture. I can't break things down into categories.
The last time I moved into a place of my own (back with elderly Mom now...) a friend who's a genius at creating structure and order got me started and was sure I could take it from there. I couldn't.
If this show can get a system in place for any family that will make keeping house a SIMPLE process, then I commend them. If, on the other hand, they are just enabling a family to make things "look good" to a social worker, I have to agree with you. But quite honestly, hiring a good cleaning team would achieve the same thing. Just no "10 minutes of fame" on national TV.
And since adoption isn't cheap, if they can afford to do that, this family should be able to afford to pay someone to come in regularly and tidy up -- after the big clean up pre-adoption. They'd be happier, too.
Just MHO.
Deb Gallardo
http://www.twitter.com/debgallardo
http://www.myspace.com/debgallardo
Yes, they do claim an element of "training", but...we shall see.
On another topic, Deb, you said:
"The problem most messies have is creating a place for everything."
I'm not sure about that. I think the problem is that they think they have to KEEP everything. Nobody has room for everything. :-)
Oh forgot to say, on the Montell show they showed the families consulting a bit with the crew before the clean up began. Then they left while the crew did the work. They returned to cleaned and organized homes.
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