"Only where children gather is there any real chance of fun."-
Mignon McLaughlin, journalist and author
It's already after noon and I am feeling unproductive. The house is a mess, dishes piled high, laundry in heaps and the floor crusted with syrup and peanut butter. The dog has been fed with graham crackers and bits of chips on the dining room chairs and I haven't begun to defrost anything for dinner yet. It's easy for me to sit at the table with my head in my hands... here it comes... that overwhelming feeling of failure. I feel it tap on my shoulder every time I sit down, yup... there it is, I am in bondage to my standards.
Standards can be such a distraction as a mom, it can distract us from the things that matter the most. I have found often that if I would stop following my children, cleaning up their messes then I could be a participant in all of the fun by helping make them! I know, how are we supposed to keep up with everything that way? Well, there is a balance, but I have heard it said that if 80% of our day is spent cleaning, correcting and dwelling with guilt and 20% is spent in consuming thoughts of how to keep the house tidy and the appearance of perfection, then 100% of our day has been a waste of time and energy! What if we could change that?
Right now my children have devastated their rooms upstairs. I know I will step on at least three to six legos trying to make it to the doorway and I will be certain not to reach any of them in the room without a "stumble trip, stumble trip". However, the laughter and creativity flowing out of the hallway is making me jealous. I have never looked at the hamper as a dangerous mine shaft or at the squinkies as poisonous insects. I never thought of putting a helmet on a stuffie and watching them fly from the ceiling fan, or making a race track using the dresser drawers and a wrapping paper tube.
My house isn't perfect, but I know in my heart that if I were spending 80% of my time playing and enjoying the creative passion and energy, and 20% thinking about dinner and tidying up, I would recognize that I am 100% blessed. Kids know how to have fun... wish me luck as I venture into the "monster truck mine field"!
