We all want the very best for our children, but it’s impossible to do everything right all the time. Admitting that is freeing – and it’s also encouraging to other moms in the midst of intense seasons. That’s the idea behind our Monday Mom Confessions and we’d love for you to join us – share your own confession in the comments below! Let’s throw off the weight of perfection and get real around here!
When my son started preschool, I loved that he came home with artwork every day. He was proud, and so was I.
But then, it kept rolling in. Every day a couple more masterpieces were added to the pile. It was getting ridiculous and our fridge {which, of course, is the natural gallery for all budding artists} was getting full.
What’s a mama to do? How to deal with all the beauty that was cluttering up my countertops?
I’ll tell you how I dealt with it – it went into the trash can or the recycle bin.
There was just one flaw with this perfect solution – on occasion, my little one would open the trash to throw something away and see his beloved creation in there. “Hey! What’s my picture doing in the garbage?” he would ask. And I would have to feign surprise. “Oh my goodness! How did that happen?!? That shouldn’t be in there!” and we’d shake off the coffee grounds and smooth it out and set it back on the countertop.
Until one day, when a particularly beautiful piece came home. “Conlan!” I said. “I love this so much, can I take it to work and put it up in my office?”
He was so proud, he agreed immediately.
And then every day thereafter he would bring home his latest creation and ask, “Do you want to take it to work and put it in your office?”
Could it really be that easy? “Yes! I’d love to take it to work. What a great idea!”
And so, his artwork began making its way to my office with regularity…
…where there is zero chance that he will accidentally run into it in the trash can.
I know that some mothers make great scrapbooks or take digital pics of their kids’ artwork. I’m not that organized and I know I’ll never do anything with them, so I don’t even pretend to try. Some of the more special, time-intensive, or impressive pieces, I keep {of course}. But the worksheets and random drawings…they go to work with me where I throw them away without a bit of guilt. And that’s my confession for the day.
What’s your Monday Mom Confession? Tell us in the comments!
Would you like to be featured on Monday Mom Confessions? We’re looking for guest writers; email us at comments@allmomdoes.com with your 1-2 sentence confession. If it’s approved you’ll be asked to write the full article and it will be published on allmomdoes!
