Up front – Minimalist Moms
As children, we’re given dolls to play with, make believing we are moms, leading us to dream that one day this will come true – this is where our story begins.
Who is with me and thinks that being a mom is the most challenging job in the world? From the beginning and every period of their lives, we always wish for the next stage. We believe each step will be easier than the last, and yet we never learn. It never gets more manageable, but like the true warriors we are – we keep going. As we know, every phase has its pros and cons.
A parental position is taken without any training, yet we naturally figure it out. Without realizing it, we are challenged and tested daily and experience every emotion we can. Does anybody notice that Mom’s need mom’s too! I look at it this way: if I can teach my kids anything about parenting, it would be that. (I think.)
And then there’s the stress! How do we manage it, how do we keep sane? One out of five mothers are ready for a meltdown. It’s no walk in the park; however, we wouldn’t change it for the world at the end of day, and we couldn’t imagine life without them.
Mother’s Day is a day where Moms can put up their feet, be catered to by the kids and treated like a queen by their spouses. I think it ended with my generation and the simplicity of raising a family that this one day a year just will not cut it. You want more ‘me time’ or what I would call ‘stress-free time’ at least once a week.
How are you going to do this? Well, start with minimalizing your life, your home. You may be asking yourself, how are you going to do this, there’s so much stuff? It’s overwhelming, I know. I just downsized and I don’t know how I managed to get rid of a lot – and I mean a lot of stuff I didn’t need, like stuff I put aside and labeled “just in case”. Or there’s always sending your kids back to the days that playing outside till the streetlights came on, that when you came in for your bath and bed, you actually went to bed with exhaustion as a kid. Or you can read Diane Boden’s “Minimalist Moms: Living and Parenting with Simplicity” published by Mango, Diane will humourlessly help you on how she did it by first telling you why you should. She will turn you into a decluttering warrior with helpful tools, advice, encouragements, and thoughts. The first place to start she writes, is in the bathroom. Really? I know, I thought the same thing. There’s no perfect time to start.
Happy Mother’s Day, and remember, Que Sera, Sera, whatever will be will be!
