Mama, don’t loose your joy
Parenting is hard. Very hard. The sleepless nights, the diapers, the puking, making meals that don’t get eaten, the endless pile of laundry, the driving kids to a fro, the arguments, the tears….you get the point. It sucks sometimes. It’s daunting some days. But it’s also the most rewarding thing we will ever do.
I always dreamed of being an adult (OMG WHY!?) and having kids of my own. The glamorous life that awaited me on the other side of 18.
But wow, when they would say, “don’t grow up too fast”, they left out the part about how difficult it would be on a daily basis once you did. Adulting is hard. Parenting is harder.
It’s so easy to get lost in the mundane, day to day hustle of life and parenting. It feels like Groundhog Day sometimes. The repetition is overwhelming but before you know it, it’s over.
All of the sudden they are 5 and head to Kindergarten, then 11 and headed off to middle school, then 14 and on to high school and all of the sudden almost 18 and writing their college essays. And you are sitting there wondering what happened? I blinked and it’s over.
I have to admit that some days it’s is so frustrating that I have just said, “OK. F it. Tomorrow is a new day.” But now looking back, there have been so many of those days. Days that I can’t get back. Days that I can’t make up to her. Days that I should have just taken her to the park anyway. Days that I should have let her play outside a little longer.
You see, I lost my joy.
I would be aggravated and stressed. The homework, the dinner, the sports…it is a never ending cycle of “things to do”. And some days I would give up.
Now, I see my mistake. I let the hard parts steal my joy- my daily joy of parenting {and adulting}- you know, the good parts. The extra playtime, the extra snuggles, the extra story time, the staying up later, the longer walks. These precious years go by so fast and in an instant (if you let them) the hard parts can steal your joy.
But don’t let them. Hang on to your joy….so tightly….do not let it go. Cherish the daily struggle of parenting. Embrace the chaos. It is just a messy season.
I finally found my joy again. The harsh realization that she was growing up and her childhood was ending soon was a smack in the face. But the pain of loosing my joy will be a scar that I always carry with me. The missed opportunities, the time that I will never get back….they are gone but not forgotten.
We have to fight through it and focus on the fact that we are so blessed to be parents. So blessed that we have these babies to love on and raise. We cannot loose our joy over the uncontrollable circumstances of daily life.
“The days are long but the years are short” is by far the most factual parenting line I’ve ever heard…and most scary because it is true.
Mama, don’t loose your joy. Find your joy and hold on to it with all of your might.
To your joy,
Eryn
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