Japan’s Marie Kondo is known around the world as a cleaning expert and for helping people organize their homes. Her 2014 book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing has sold millions of copies. But even Marie Kondo cannot follow all of her cleaning rules all of the time.

Marie Kondo wrote her famous book before she became a mother. At that time, she aimed for a perfectly organized home. But she now adds that she understands two important things about parenting: First, children often make a mess. And second, time and energy are limited.

Kondo says her expectations for tidying up “definitely changed” after having children. She questions her previous ideas. When things get very busy, Kondo has learned to ease her rules for order and organization. Kondo’s words may please some parents. Several years ago, she faced criticism for having no real idea how messy children can be, and how disorganized busy parents can become.

Some parents rejected the main principle of Kondo’s tidying method-a method she named “KonMari”. That principle is cleaning up a large number of things all at once. She suggested that when you organize your books, you should organize all of your books. If you organize your clothes, you should organize all of your clothes.

Tidying up, she wrote in her book, should be a special event and not something you do every day or every week. Her “KonMari” method, she claimed, would keep mess from returning under normal circumstances. However, parents said they couldn’t give so much time to one project while raising children. People without children also agreed with this criticism of Kondo’s “ KonMari” method.

After Kondo’s two daughters were born, she changed “KonMari” a little to better fit a child-filled life. She admits that tidying up one small area at a time might be a better approach for busy and tired parents. For example, instead of organizing all of the clothes, a parent might organize just the T-shirts.

“Everything happens for the best,” my mother said whenever I faced disappointment. “If you can carry on, one day something good will happen.”

After graduating from college in 1932, I decided to try for a job as a sports announcer (播音员) on the radio. I took the bus to Chicago and knocked on the door of every radio station. But I was refused every time. In one studio, a nice lady told me that big radio stations didn’t want to accept inexperienced (没经验的) persons. “Go to the countryside and find a small station that’ll give you a chance,” she said.

I returned home, Dixon in Illinois. My father said Smith Ward had opened a store and wanted a local sportsman to manage its sports department. Since I had played high school football in Dixon, I applied. The job sounded just right for me, but I still failed in the interview. As I left his office, I felt sad. I asked aloud, “How can a man become a sports announcer if he can’t get a job in a radio station?”

I was waiting for the lift when I heard Smith Ward calling, “What did you say about sports? Do you know anything about football?” Then he made me stand before a microphone and asked me to broadcast an imaginary (想象的) game. As a result, I did a wonderful job and was told to broadcast Saturday’s game!

On my way home, I thought of my mother’s words again: Everything happens for the best if you carry on. One day something good will happen.

I felt very scared. I ran to my bed and pulled my blanket over my head. I started to shout for my parents but there was no reply. Then I remembered that they were at a fancy dress party.

I looked out of my blanket but it was too dark to see anything. Then I heard footsteps. They were getting louder and louder. I ran to my drawer to take out my camera and started to take pictures in the direction of the window. Soon the footsteps died off.

The grandfather clock struck. It was 12 midnight. I went back to my bed and tried to sleep. But I could not sleep. I felt too frightened. I sat up, and my mind was full of thoughts. Time passed --- finally, I fell asleep.

I woke up only after eight and decided to find out what it had been. I found some footprints outside my bedroom window. I measured them with a ruler and found them to be exactly the same size as my father's shoes. I then went to town to get the film developed. I didn't realize that I did not use the flash until I saw the black photos.

When I reached home, I told my father the whole incident and he started to laugh. I started laughing too when he told me that he had dressed up as an alien for the party. Today, I am still amused to think I was so afraid of my own father.