I remember the time when I watched a child make a huge mess, RIGHT UNDERNEATH his moms nose. I couldn’t quite understand how she didn’t notice it. When she did realize the mess, she ultimately got mad at her child. It didn’t makes sense in my head. Why would she get mad at her child, when the mess happened right under her nose.
I am here to tell you…….I HAVE BECOME THAT MOM!!……….. WHAT??? When did this happened? I am not sure. I do know it has happened a lot lately, and it has all of a sudden struck me,
“When did I become “that mom”?….and AM I OK WITH BEING “THAT MOM?”
After thinking about this a lot lately, I realized I AM OK with being that mom. When I am “that mom” I find myself worrying less, correcting less and complimenting more. Some days I fight it, other days I embrace it. I made a mental list of the pros and cons of being “that mom.” This is what I came up with
We will start with the CONS
CON #1 – There is a mess that needs to be cleaned.
Now parents, let me ask you this……WHEN ISN’T there a mess to clean up? If there is one thing that being a mom has taught me over the years it’s that the mess will always be there tomorrow. It is not going anywhere! How much time a day do we clean, just to repeat it again and again? Now I’m not saying don’t clean, I’m saying don’t worry when it’s not clean.
CON #2 – Items used in their creations are now gone.
This is a hard one for me. I like to have things on hand when I need them. Now that my boys are getting old enough they tend to eat all of the food, or use up items like tape, A LOT!! For the food I have to remember what my mother would always say growing up, “When it’s gone it’s gone!” For all of the other stuff, I have to remember what my Father in-law would always say, “It is just stuff!”
Now for the Pros
PRO #1 – My kids are confident to do things themselves.
I love that my kids do things for themselves. If they are confident in their capabilities they tend to try new things more. I love that they try and learn new things all of the time. Whether it is a pickle sandwich, or a fruit creation for dinner. They are eager and willing.
PRO #2 – They are free to be creative without the wrath of mom coming down on them.
I truly love when my kids go through the garbage and get all of the bottles & boxes. They disappear for an hour and reappear with a new creation. I compliment them on their ingenuity of what they just created! I am looking out my window right now at a makeshift fort my kids put together during a rain storm last week. Could I get upset about the mess they made? Absolutely, but I choose not to. There are greater things to worry about!
PRO #3 – It provides great opportunities to teach your kids to clean up after themselves
Yes your kids will make messes, but be consistent in teaching them to clean those messes up. This is where consistency will pay off someday. As hard as it is, don’t clean it up for them. I know its a lot easier to do it yourself, but resist that urge!!
PRO #4 – They are exploring the world around them, instead of watching the world happen on TV.
I tell my boys this all of the time! Do you want to experience the world or watch others experience it? It makes them think of the time wasted while watching TV.
PRO #5 – It allows them to think and figure things out on their own.
The way kids learn is by experiencing things. They use their creative minds to create, learn, mess up, and keep going! This reason alone has made me realize that I don’t want to say no to everything my kids ask to do! I don’t want to get mad when I see that a tornado just hit my house. I want to look at that tornado and see what good came out of it! What was created? What was learned?
If you are “that mom” I tell you, YOU ARE NOT ALONE, and it is OK to be “that mom”! If you are not “that mom”, be kind to those who are. One day you may be asking yourself, “WHEN DID I BECOME “THAT MOM?”.