‘Tidying Up’: How Many Children Does Marie Kondo Have?
Marie Kondo has a maturity far beyond her years. Calm, serene, and usually smiling, she’s obviously benefitting from all the stress-relief of living in a clutter-free home. Most assume that Kondo spends her entire day sitting in an empty room, or perhaps dusting her one book.
That’s what makes so many people surprised to find out that Marie Kondo is married with children. She even admits that keeping her home tidy is a daily struggle. But still, it’s not impossible.
Who is Marie Kondo?
Marie Kondo became the international face of tidy homes around the globe thanks to her unique method of decluttering. She singlehandedly popularized the phrase, “spark joy” and encourages her clients to finally dispose of any items they don’t need so they can lead richer, fuller lives.
Many people criticized Kondo when her New York Times best-selling book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, first came out. They said since she wasn’t a mother yet, she didn’t understand how difficult it was to declutter toys and baby items. But that’s all changed now.
Marie Kondo is married with two children
A lot has changed since Kondo’s book was published in the United States in 2014. She expanded her family – by two! Marie Kondo married Takumi Kawahara in 2012. Her husband was working in sales and marketing when the pair met, but now he works as his wife’s manager and CEO of Konmari Media. He also takes photos for Kondo’s Instagram and helps her stay up-to-date on social media.
It’s unlikely that Kondo would have married a hoarder or figurine collector. However, her husband had to up the ante after marrying the queen of cleaning. Kawahara is now well-versed in the KonMari method. “He was able to clean and be very organized even before he read my book, but it was certainly even more pronounced after he read my book,” she told Good Housekeeping “He became even more efficient. Fundamentally speaking, we’re in the same groove.”
Marie Kondo has two young children
Marie Kondo and Takumi Kawahara have two young daughters, Satsuki and Miko. She says she prepared for her first baby’s arrival by having a “decluttering festival” with her husband, rationalizing it by saying it would be much harder once they had a baby at home. But she relaxed her rules before their second daughter arrived. “I think I became more forgiving after my baby was born, especially because I’m so much more limited in time and [given] the sheer number of things that increase,” Kondo told Good Housekeeping.
Kondo’s kids follow the KonMari method
No one is too surprised that Marie Kondo’s kids are students of the KonMari method. She hadn’t planned on instructing them in how to tidy until they were a little older, but the girls learned the basics just by watching their mom at work. Kondo told the Wall Street Journal, “I was surprised to see her [Satsuki] putting books, stuffed animals, and toys for playing house back in their place more precisely than I expected. She is also trying to copy me folding clothes, though I secretly fix them when she’s not looking.”
Kondo says that teaching kids to let things go can even be therapeutic, and can make them less likely to place an emotional value on physical items in the future. No matter what happens, it’s clear that the Kondo girls will learn a lot from their wise mom!
