Precious…But Not Too Precious

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned as a mother is learning to let go. As someone who already has a plan A, B and C in mind at all times and constantly feels the need to be in control, learning to hold plans/things with a light hand has certainly been a refining process. Learning to let go about what my kids choose to wear or how they play with their toys or the embarrassing things they say or about the messes they make is a real struggle for me. I know it’s silly, but wanting to have all my ducks (and my kids’ ducks) in a row is just how I’m wired. Appreciating order and organization isn’t a bad thing in and of itself of course, but the problem comes when I find myself focusing on these things to the detriment of my little ones.

The reality is that I often find myself missing out on the truly precious moments of my children’s childhood, because I’m so caught up worrying about order. I’ll find myself stressed out about arts and crafts or snacks because I don’t want Fern to ruin the new dress I got her or I worry that Clive will spill on our carpet and I end up completely missing the fact that the cats she’s been drawing lately are actually starting to look like actual cats or how good Clive is getting at feeding himself without spilling everywhere. I’m so preoccupied with having a sink emptied of dishes and a floor free of dust bunnies that I forget to just sit on the floor and play with my kids. It’s not the end of the world to not be present for all the little things every day, because honestly there are a lot of little things and paying attention to every little moment just isn’t possible. Dishes have to get done sometimes and that’s OK. But, I’m learning that sometimes there are little things I can do in order to free myself up to stop and notice and be truly present more often.

Tricks like laying clothes out the night before or stashing catch-all baskets and baby wipes in every room for quick clean-ups are really helpful. But, mostly it’s come down to realizing that nothing in my home should be too precious to keep me from enjoying precious moments with my children.

Of course, just because I don’t want to get too caught up in things over people, doesn’t mean that I have to live in a home that is filled with cheap, disposable junk or that I won’t still be teaching my children the importance of being a good steward of material items (I certainly don’t intend to let them run around leaving a path of complete destruction in their wake!). But, whenever possible I can consider the things I bring into my home. Yes, I may want that beautiful, light-colored couch, but is it going to stress me out to watch my children actually act like children around it? Probably. So why get it? I think there is a balance to be struck between beautiful design and functionality and between tidiness and chaos.

The thing is, home is more than sparkly countertops and clothes folded and put away in drawers. Those are not the things that are going to make my children love being in our home and make them want to come back as the years tick by. A tidy house is not what my children are going to remember about their childhood. They are going to remember breakfast picnics in the kitchen and snuggling up in blanket forts and building block towers as I sat on the floor next to them.Precious...But Not Too Precious // via The Little Things We DoPrecious...But Not Too Precious // via The Little Things We DoPrecious...But Not Too Precious // via The Little Things We DoPrecious...But Not Too Precious // via The Little Things We DoPrecious...But Not Too Precious // via The Little Things We DoThese are the moments and I don’t want to miss them.

A special thanks to Lorena Canals for creating such wonderful rugs that are the perfect, cozy place for building Legos and having indoor picnics and for baby sisters to lay on. And even more so, they are easily machine-washable for the inevitable baby spit-up or food spill. This simple rug that can easily be transported room-to-room, laid out, folded up and thrown in the wash is just one small thing that helps me to let go and stop worrying about things that are too precious (like big, expensive rugs that are hard to clean). It is one small thing that lets be more present with my littles and soak up more of their preciousness which is the only preciousness that really matters anyway.

xo

Lauren

 

*This post was not sponsored, though I was given a Lorena Canals rug for the purpose of this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Comments

  1. This is something that was once close to my heart! I have a daughter (who has just turned 12!) and when she was little I too was caught up in all the tiny small details that looking back didn’t really matter. It took me a looong time to break my cycle of obsessiveness and really hit home when my partner repeatedly pointed out the things I was doing on a normal day, that in hind sight could have waited.
    You are definaltly right at not wanting to miss out on the precious moments, if there is one thing I have learnt its to savour all the time we have with our offspring, because before you know it there all grown up!

  2. I cannot believe how big your kiddos are getting! Wow! When did that happen?!

  3. Where can I find those stacking blocks?

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