Perfection is a Myth: Ditching the Holiday Stress for Authentic Joy
Simplifying the Season: Embracing Imperfections for a Meaningful Holiday Experience
It’s almost December, which means our Instagram feeds will be filled with the following:
Matching Christmas PJs
Present hauls
Idyllic scenes of ice-skating / Christmas markets / sledding
Elf on the shelf
It’s all too easy to get caught up in the holiday ideal and forget that everybody posts their highlight reel on socials.
I always get excited by the potential of the Christmas season. The trips to the Christmas markets, the cosy evenings at home with a hot chocolate and the joy on my children’s face each Christmas morning. But the reality of the season is somewhat different, especially as the invisible load hits. On the plate is a variety on tasks, including and not limited to the following:
buying Christmas presents for the entire family
keeping up to date with school events such as Christmas jumper day, a carol concert and nativity play
planning trips to see relatives
ordering Christmas dinner
making room for joy and fun activities like ice skating
Don’t get me wrong, my husband is really great at making genuine contributions such as cooking Christmas dinner but this year, he won’t be joining us until mid December when he finishes his job in Vienna. For me, this means that I will be aiming to make Christmas time magical whilst also dealing with the realities of moving countries. My recommendation? Never do an international house move in December!
But with that being said, our family rhythm for Winter has made life just that bit easier. I stick to focused activities and a regularly weekly rhythm that helps us to embrace the magic of the season without becoming completely overwhelmed by it.
Parenting is rarely perfect - and that’s okay.
Show me a perfect parent and I’ll show you a unicorn. Perfect parents exist in the form of Instagram influencers who share reels of their perfect children playing perfectly in perfectly immaculate clothing. But we only ever see a snapshot of reality.
One of the biggest lessons I learnt was that we never truly know what is going on in someone else’s life - especially someone who we follow on Instagram. A much better approach is to follow your own path. Set your intentions, create a family rhythm and simplify.
5 Parenting Beliefs that do not serve us.
The Perfect Parent Myth:
No one is a perfect parent. Whilst we might have moments of brilliance, no one is a perfect parent 100% of the time - even those influencers on Instagram!
The idea that you have to follow a parenting philosophy in absolute:
You don’t have to be full-on Montessori, or ‘crunchy’ or Waldorf. Do your research, then pick and choose the elements that serve you. Create a family rhythm based on your values.
Striving for balance
Balance is hard. Balance means continually spinning plates that you might drop any second. Instead, try to ‘tilt.’
The idea that you have to play with your child all day
Set a gentle daily rhythm that helps your child understand when you can play and when you can’t. Independent play is really good for children so don’t feel bad about the times when you can’t (or don’t want to) play.
The idea that days at home have to be complicated
You don’t need to schedule your entire day or enrol your child in heaps of classes in order for them to have a good childhood. Understanding play means you can simplify what it looks like at home.
Share your thoughts below
What ‘invisible load’ tasks are you facing right now? What parenting beliefs aren’t serving you right now? Let me know by commenting.
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