Hi all,
I suffer from the same "voice of mom" in my head often, too. My mom passed away a few years ago after a serious brain issue - I'm over that part, but the guilt goes on. I look at how well my children have turned out, though, and think that I must be doing somethings right. When I think about what a holy terror I was at their respective ages, I shudder.
Anyway, I too have been housework-averse for years and when I quit my job to go to do PhD full time, I promised my husband that I would keep the house clean (couldn't afford cleaning lady, didn't want to make him do it). I have been reading Fly Lady (flylady.net) for about a year now, and it's been like a course in, like Grinity said, reparenting. I have real routines, I have set things I do on set days, etc. I think other people learn this at home, but learning it now is making a huge difference.
It reminds me of a post on another thread where someone commented about how gifted kids are excited to learn the big things and don't care about the basics, like math facts. I'd rather build a house than learn about how to clean one! But, finally, I need to know, and I'm willing to learn.
JennyM
