Real talk: do you perform a thorough cleaning of your entire house EVERY SINGLE DAY? Now, before you give us your knee-jerk reaction to the question, we need to know one very important piece of information–do you have kids, and if so, are they little kids?

Do you see where we’re going with this one??

What we’re saying is that, while you may be the tidiest person on your whole block, once you throw kiddos that haven’t exactly graduated pre-school–or, let’s be honest, high school–into the mix, chances are, your domain isn’t as clean as you would like for it to be. And, depending on what type of person you are, you may put an unbelievable amount of pressure on yourself to hastily clean up before guests come over.

Of course, it’s not always possible to give your abode a thorough cleaning and organizing minutes after your judgemental mother-in-law calls you from her cell phone to let you know that she’s going to make a surprise visit to see her grandchildren–and she’ll be at your door in 10 minutes. Oh, and your baby is just about ready to start his fourth breastfeeding sesh of the day. Talk about stressful…

Yep, dealing with a situation like this is not an uncommon one for both moms and dads the world over, but, luckily, more and more influential voices are beginning to come out in support of beleaguered parents. As a matter of fact, a revolutionary view has officially emerged from the piles of discarded toys and unfolded laundry; maybe, just maybe, it doesn’t matter if new parents have a messy home. Radical, huh?

Scary Mommy blogger, Erin Sturm, manages to argue this point in her epic, and now-viral, article entitled, Moms, Let’s All Agree to Stop Apologizing for the State of Our Homes.

Here’s a preview of her battle cry for parents of messy kids everywhere:

I don’t care if my house is a mess when you stop over. I won’t apologize for it or even acknowledge it at all. I’ll pretend that I can’t see the socks on the floor or the smears on the windows. I know it isn’t why you’re here.

You’re here so we can catch up on each other’s lives. You’re here so we can share a funny story. You’re here so that we can feel like someone else gets it. You’re here so we can pass some time together in this too sweet, too short life.

She goes on to explain just how these messes happen–and makes the point that they usually occur because parents have actually made the effort to BOND with their kiddos:

The carpet is stained because we made slime with them in the living room. Their artwork is taped to the side of that hand-printed fridge. The paint is chipped because we had a doll stroller race and bumped into a few walls. The grass is long because we’re too busy playing in the sprinkler to cut it. The laundry never ends because we let our kids get messy. The dishes pile up because we’re making healthy meals for our families.

Now, if you can’t see Sturm’s point, then we’re guessing you don’t have kids–or have never even met one for that matter! Whatever category you may fall into, just remember to remain focused on the reality of what parents face, yourself included. Maybe then, we can stop judging one another and start enjoying the time that we spend together!

We’d love to hear your thoughts on this controversial issue that all parents face. What is the current state of your house? Do you clean up before company comes over? If so, why?