Today I was on Pinterest with Emily; we were looking at the kids section together, which she was not completely convinced was really for kids (she said at first it was still for people, by which she meant adults). I found a link to 21 questions to ask your kids. Here are Emily's answers (some of these are not her first answer):
1. What is something Mommy always says to you?
Be brave
2. What makes Mommy happy?
Thomas in a picture
(Probably this means looking at Pinterest; we were just looking at pictures on Pinterest, there was a picture of Thomas the Tank engine there.)
3. What makes Mommy sad?
Poo-poo [in Emily's pants]
4. How does Mommy make you laugh?
Putting on TV
5. What was Mommy like as a child?
William and Emily
6. How old is Mommy?
13
(Emily has a very fluid concept of numbers; she can count to about 12, but she often just pulls numbers out of the air).
7. How tall is Mommy?
68, 9
8. What is Mommy's favorite thing to do?
Sew
9. What does Mommy do when you're not around?
Sleep
10. If Mommy becomes famous, what will it be for?
Cow give you some milk
(Emily had a hard time coming up with something for this one; I tried to rephrase questions for her if she seemed to not get them, but I'm not sure she ever really got this one.)
11. What is Mommy really good at?
Playing a game
12. What is Mommy not very good at?
Her can pick up all by herself
(I asked, and yes Emily meant this as something that I am not good at. Apparently she sees the mess, too.)
13. What does Mommy do for her job?
Bibbity bobbity bo
(I was asked to help with "the magic words" yesterday, and this is what I came up with, so either I do magic for my job, or I help Emily for my job.)
14. What is Mommy's favorite food?
Macaroni
15. What makes you proud of Mommy?
Love
16. If Mommy were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Flutter Shy, her has butter on her flute shoes
(Flutter Shy is a character on My Little Pony, who is quiet, very nice, and loves animals. I'm not sure about the butter on flute shoes.)
17. What do you and Mommy do together?
We pray and put our arms on top of our head
18. How are you and Mommy the same?
We are both girls
19. How are you and Mommy different?
I have yellow hair, Mommy has brown hair
20. How do you know Mommy loves you?
With a fish
(She does not have a fish, but apparently if I get her a fish, she will know I love her.)
21. Where is Mommy's favorite place to go?
The flowers [when we go to the store]
(We usually do go look at the flowers if we pick up Dan at Lowes, and get there early.)
Showing posts with label motherhood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label motherhood. Show all posts
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Measuring Up
So, recently several of my Facebook friends have posted an article on Facebook. The author of the article wrote that she just couldn't do all the things she found on Pinterest, but her kids love her, and want her just the way she is. Which is good. To have your kids love you. But my problem with the article is that people seem to think that Pinterest creates an ideal for them to live up to.
Which I guess I should not be surprised at. People are always creating expectations for themselves. As a society, we have expectations for each other about how we should dress and act, and how clean our houses should be (and then there is always the sub-culture of crafters, who think clean houses are for those who can't come up with something better to do). We feel pressured to be stay-at-home moms, or to be mom's who work, or to be the mom who gets everything done and throws awesome parties for their kids. We see what others do, and often we feel like we should be doing that too.
But really, everyone is different. I have accepted that keeping my house clean is not something at which I excel. This doesn't mean I don't try, but it isn't something I do as second nature, like some women I've met. Usually, these seem to be the women who are amazed I find time to make things, or that I can make things at all. (And see, here I am projecting my perceptions on the world. Maybe you are a person who is great at cleaning and crafting). We all have different strengths, and trials, and different ways we perceive the world.
I use Pinterest as an inspiration board, and as a place to gather ideas and store ideas I've found other places. I collect food recipes, not because I plan on trying a new one every night, but because someday I might want to try something new. I collect party ideas not because I throw lots of parties, but because I enjoy the idea of throwing parties, and maybe someday I will use those ideas. My house will never contain every home decorating idea I've pinned. And I won't sew or buy every article of clothing on my pin boards.
But my pin boards aren't a to-do list. They are inspiration. And a reference for when I do decide to make something. Because, I do make things from my pin boards. I painted a sign with a quote I'd found on Pinterest. I try out new dishes every once in a while. I sew.
But then, I also read craft blogs as a form of daily amusement. I enjoy being submerged in creative ideas. And while I do write my own blog, I don't need thousands of followers to enjoy my blog (although, if I end up semi-famous from my blog, I don't think I would complain; also, if you aren't signed up as a follower, you could take a minute and do so now, because I think I would like having more followers, especially since I am pretty sure there are people out there who read my blog but don't follow it).
I guess it goes back to perceptions. At church a while ago, another mother made a comment about how she feels like she has failed regularly. This was weird to me, although I understood what she meant: she wasn't doing as good a job as she would like. But for me, failing as a mother would be leaving them, or letting them starve while I got drunk. Neither of which I plan on doing. Failing seems like an end result, not a critique of our progress. And every moment of motherhood we get an opportunity to do better. Maybe Emily had an accident while watching too much TV, probably because she gets distracted while watching TV, and I don't remember to take her to the bathroom. But instead of dwelling on my failure, I clean her up and the clean up the mess and move on.
The only children we can't do more for are those who are gone. And while I can't spend more time holding Tabitha, I tell myself I did a good job while I could. Because if I believe I failed her, I wouldn't make it through one more day. So, don't think of yourself as a failure. Don't compare yourself to some measure someone else has set for themselves, or that you think they have set for themselves. Accept yourself with all your strengths, and find a way to make the most of your own talents.
Which I guess I should not be surprised at. People are always creating expectations for themselves. As a society, we have expectations for each other about how we should dress and act, and how clean our houses should be (and then there is always the sub-culture of crafters, who think clean houses are for those who can't come up with something better to do). We feel pressured to be stay-at-home moms, or to be mom's who work, or to be the mom who gets everything done and throws awesome parties for their kids. We see what others do, and often we feel like we should be doing that too.
But really, everyone is different. I have accepted that keeping my house clean is not something at which I excel. This doesn't mean I don't try, but it isn't something I do as second nature, like some women I've met. Usually, these seem to be the women who are amazed I find time to make things, or that I can make things at all. (And see, here I am projecting my perceptions on the world. Maybe you are a person who is great at cleaning and crafting). We all have different strengths, and trials, and different ways we perceive the world.
I use Pinterest as an inspiration board, and as a place to gather ideas and store ideas I've found other places. I collect food recipes, not because I plan on trying a new one every night, but because someday I might want to try something new. I collect party ideas not because I throw lots of parties, but because I enjoy the idea of throwing parties, and maybe someday I will use those ideas. My house will never contain every home decorating idea I've pinned. And I won't sew or buy every article of clothing on my pin boards.
But my pin boards aren't a to-do list. They are inspiration. And a reference for when I do decide to make something. Because, I do make things from my pin boards. I painted a sign with a quote I'd found on Pinterest. I try out new dishes every once in a while. I sew.
But then, I also read craft blogs as a form of daily amusement. I enjoy being submerged in creative ideas. And while I do write my own blog, I don't need thousands of followers to enjoy my blog (although, if I end up semi-famous from my blog, I don't think I would complain; also, if you aren't signed up as a follower, you could take a minute and do so now, because I think I would like having more followers, especially since I am pretty sure there are people out there who read my blog but don't follow it).
I guess it goes back to perceptions. At church a while ago, another mother made a comment about how she feels like she has failed regularly. This was weird to me, although I understood what she meant: she wasn't doing as good a job as she would like. But for me, failing as a mother would be leaving them, or letting them starve while I got drunk. Neither of which I plan on doing. Failing seems like an end result, not a critique of our progress. And every moment of motherhood we get an opportunity to do better. Maybe Emily had an accident while watching too much TV, probably because she gets distracted while watching TV, and I don't remember to take her to the bathroom. But instead of dwelling on my failure, I clean her up and the clean up the mess and move on.
The only children we can't do more for are those who are gone. And while I can't spend more time holding Tabitha, I tell myself I did a good job while I could. Because if I believe I failed her, I wouldn't make it through one more day. So, don't think of yourself as a failure. Don't compare yourself to some measure someone else has set for themselves, or that you think they have set for themselves. Accept yourself with all your strengths, and find a way to make the most of your own talents.
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