Houseguests make liars of us all

I  have decided there are no normal families in the world.  Everyone is crazy or messed up in some way.  We all try so hard to put out a good front and come across normal.  Whenever people come to your house you spend hours cleaning it so they don’t think your house is ever dirty.  We all struggle and have issues.  If you believe you  know someone who is normal, they are just better at hiding it.  There seems to be one family in every ward that looks perfect, acts perfect and never says or does anything out of place or off color ever.  I propose a test.  Next Sunday just stop in and watch them get ready for church. See how they work out that dynamic.   It will be the best day or your life. 

I have often wondered why we try so hard to impress our friends and family.  If we think about it, this is all really our parents fault.  Yes this is not about fixing it, it is about assigning blame.  I remember as a child we would spend hours cleaning the house, changing sheets in all the rooms, shopping for fun food and making sure the lawn looked perfect whenever my grandparents would come visit.  Mom would get us up make hot breakfast and made us wear clean clothes during dinner.  The guest  would leave and we would go back cold cereal and being able to wear the same outfit for a week at a time.   I believe we are products of our environment.  I have seen enough evidence over the years to know that this is how it was at my parents house when they grew up.  It seems to be a pattern at my brothers and sisters homes as well. 

I think it is time to let our hair down and remove the shackles.  From this point forward whenever you are expecting house guests you need to have them come a day early so they can help get the house ready and appreciate what you have to go through every time they visit.