This photo captures Girl playing “throw the sand on the floor” in her sand table area of our patio, while wearing her princess pajamas. If you’d put my pre-motherhood self before the same situation, I’d probably have had a stroke. Sand was going everywhere. Now, I ran inside and got my camera. It is ridiculous how much parenting alters the way you look at the world. It would have bothered me that she was making a mess. It would have killed me that the sand we purchased wasn’t being used for it’s intended purpose. Today, I realize that she WAS using it for her intended purpose: To play. She wasn’t playing my way, but its just sand, and it can be replaced. She wasn’t hurting anyone, and it made her smile. That was the whole point, after all.
I am finally learning to relax and ask myself if the things I really stress over are worth the time I’m wasting on them. Most of the time, the answer is no. Most of the time, I am comparing my situation to those that I observe in others, and that’s just bunk. Most people don’t share their bruises with the world. Most people aren’t a walking Fail Blog. If they are, I wouldn’t be trying to be “like them” anyway. The ones that are sharing their pride in achievement are doing so after carefully concealing their mistakes that led them to their goal. So why was I so scared to just let things be messy? Life is messy around here because we are busy making memories and focusing on what really matters: each other, and growing up with values. As long as the mess isn’t disrespectful to anyone or anything in the long term, go ahead kiddos… Make a mess.
