Mums are sharing pics of their messy houses and it's the most relatable thing on the internet

If we had to pick a social media post that won the internet this week, we think we've got it. In the most relatable thing on the world wide web, maybe ever, mums have shared their messy houses in a bid for solidarity, eschewing the societal expectations for women to keep tidy houses at all times.. and, round of applause, honestly.

It all started when one fearless parent poured her heart out to her community of mums on Facebook. Sara Barlow confessed that she felt "anxious" about the constant mess in her home, especially with her three little ones who "melt down" at the idea of tidying up after themselves...and girl, same.

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Barlow asked the group if any other mothers could share photos of how their own homes "usually look."

And, oh! The wave of absolute support was enough to make your spirit shine, especially if your windows don't!

Mums from all walks of life jumped in, sharing photos of their lived-in spaces and their own tales of domestic chaos, exposing the "good enough" of their homes. It was a heartwarming show of solidarity and sisterhood, a virtual high-five, a veritable treasure trove of toddler-torn, life-littered lounges and domestic disorder, proving that no mum is alone in this messy journey. And we.are.here.for.it.

Embracing the imperfections

Fellow self-confessed messy mum who also contributed to the post, Kim, told Yahoo Lifestyle, "it would be good to change the expectations around keeping houses. There is definitely an unreasonable expectation, especially on mums, to have perfect unlived houses, and a lot of judgement on the wives/mums on the state of the house."

Amy Jane, another mother who confessed to not always being on top of the housework, shared with the group that she feels the futility of tidying up when children are around. She likened it to "mopping in the rain" or "using a spray bottle to put out a raging fire."

Mixed response

Speaking exclusively to Yahoo Lifestyle, the original author of the post, Barlow, said she discovered diametric opposition in the replies.

"I found there were definitely two types of responses," she explained, "a) my house is the same! Can never keep on top of it," or "b) I don't understand how people can let their houses get messy. I get my kids to clean up after themselves."

Barlow went on to say she had mixed emotions reading through the comments, "Although there were a lot of supporting messages, the amount of messages echoing that my house shouldn't be messy were disheartening," she concluded.

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Regardless of the backlash, there was an undeniable prevailing spirit of sisterhood. "I wanted to befriend every mum whose house was as messy as mine," Barlow said. "And if my messy house can make other mums feel like their messy house is normal, then that's a win!"

Amen to that! Now excuse me while I go and throw out my squeegee.

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