Marie Kondo After 3 Kids: 'My Home Is Messy'

It's an admission that might spark joy in those who tried and failed to live up to the decluttering goals espoused by Marie Kondo: Now that she has three young kids, Kondo herself can't, either. “My home is messy, but the way I am spending my time is the right way for me at this time at this stage of my life,” the 38-year-old tells Jura Koncius in an interview for the Washington Post. Kondo adds that as a "professional tidier," she had always tried to keep a neat home at all times. “I have kind of given up on that in a good way for me. Now I realize what is important to me is enjoying spending time with my children at home.”

The revelation set off a big reaction on social media, and NPR rounds up some of it. A typical sentiment: "This was both refreshing and validating to read," tweeted one person. "Sure, cleaning out stuff we don't need goes A LONG way but keeping my house like an IKEA catalogue? Physically impossible with 3." Of course, the business-savvy Kondo is capturing this phase of her life in a new book that talks about the Japanese principle of kurashi, or "way of life." It includes more than 100 ostensibly inspiring photographs of ways to bring calmness into your home, though the Post notes that most photos are not from Kondo's own home. (More Marie Kondo stories.)