A while back I read an article about a mom who was "fed up" with all the crazy extremes of the holidays. Her article struck a real cord in me. You can read it here. This mom is upset about the over zealous parents who make a big deal about little holidays like St. Patrick's Day, Valentine's Day, and other "sub-holidays". She goes on to complain that the holidays have gotten out of control with schools and other mommies, and well, she may have a point. But here's the rub... I am that mom!
I LOVE holidays! I LOVE to make a big stink about an otherwise meaningless day! I LOVE the reaction of my children when they wake up to a surprise left by a mysterious guest in the night! And I LOVE LOVE LOVE to play that role! When I read that article, I was instantly struck with what I call "mommy guilt". I worried that my actions may be making another mom to feel less than adequate and that just made me sad.
This brought me to ponder my "WHY"? Why do I insist on making a green breakfast on March 17th? Why do I spend sleepless nights so my kids can wake up to a bedroom full of hearts and balloons on February 14th? Why do I get so much pleasure from making a tricky dinner on April 1st? Why do my friends and I work tirelessly thinking of hilarious food puns for Star Wars Day (May the 4th - in case you are wondering)? Why? Why? WHY?? The answer.... I LOVE MY KIDS!
I didn't have an ideal childhood. In fact, it was pretty unstable most of the time and most of my memories are not all that great. One could say I'm overcompensating & I'd probably agree. When I became a mother the few things I wanted for my kids was for them to feel loved all the time, to create wonderful memories for them to hold on to, and to make my home a place where they felt safe and secure. Does that all happen because I make hot dog mummies for dinner on Halloween? NO! But I do want my kids to look back on their childhood and say they had so much FUN!
I do it all out of love! I love seeing their faces as we create lasting memories of silly holidays. I know on these days when they wake up to 100+ tiny green sparkly feet prints lined up just so as if a small green person ran through an obstacle course in the house that this is a day they will remember (don't worry - there will be a post for that). Most of the time I don't even get the credit for the mischief! And that's OK! My kids will grow up sharing memories about these days, and it is my dream that some things we do on these special days will become traditions in our family for years to come. And let's face it... out of 365 days a year, if we go "all out" on a dozen of those days, that's still less than 4% of our year for memories that will last a lifetime!
I do it all out of love! I love seeing their faces as we create lasting memories of silly holidays. I know on these days when they wake up to 100+ tiny green sparkly feet prints lined up just so as if a small green person ran through an obstacle course in the house that this is a day they will remember (don't worry - there will be a post for that). Most of the time I don't even get the credit for the mischief! And that's OK! My kids will grow up sharing memories about these days, and it is my dream that some things we do on these special days will become traditions in our family for years to come. And let's face it... out of 365 days a year, if we go "all out" on a dozen of those days, that's still less than 4% of our year for memories that will last a lifetime!
Party on crazy mammas!!! And welcome to the craziest part of the holiday season!!
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