Holidays are Messy

 

I feel like holidays are really tricky with kids.  You have big plans, things schedules and more pressure for a really good day.  It's too bad toddlers don't understand that holidays should be different than any other days.   While I don't think I could ever not be disappointed if a holiday doesn't turn how I thought, I think I'm starting to learn that I really have no control over it.  
At the end of Mother's Day, my sister and I went to Target alone.  (A real Mother's Day present, right?)  We were talking about the pressure of holidays.  To get a perfect picture, to share something sentinmental, to really enjoy the day.  The thing is, if you have young kids, the chances of all of those happening are pretty slim.  
We actually had a great Mother's Day.  Addilyn slept pretty well the night before, was happy with Chris getting up with her in the morning (a rare thing), did great in the church nursery and took a great nap.  We hosted Mother's Day at our house and she did great.  Now the picture part, not so much.  Of course the one picture that was great, was super blurry.  Thank you Chris.  

But we've had our share already of rough holidays.  Easter was a complete miss, as Addilyn woke up with the stomach flu.  Last Halloween she had a really nasty cold, was terribly crabby, the weather was awful, and Chris was sick, so we did one house of trick or treating and the day was not even close to what I had expected.  
Add into it that it gets messy when you want to share about your holiday on social media, especially Mother's Day.  I know how hard Mother's Day can be when you don't have kids, but so badly long to be a mother.  So do you not post anything because you don't want to make things worse for those that are hurting?  Do you post your one beautiful picture you get or a real life one that is much more accurate of how your life is?  
I think I've spent a lot of time comparing my daily life to others.  A lot of time worrying about what other people are feeling, which can be great, but also can take the joy out of your own day.  I think what I'm learning is that number one I need to have low expectations.  That it's okay to plan how I want our day to go, plan on taking cute pictures and all being happy, but know that a lot of things are out of my control.  And then number two, I'm responsible for how I feel.  If my day is a mess and others are posting these beautiful pictures, so what.  Good for them if their day is great, but more likely than not they took 20 pictures to get one good one and there were probably tears and bribery along with it.  If I am totally happy with our day but then see three people announce pregnancies with baby number two, then I need to have an attitude adjustment or maybe just not spend time on social media.  
Sometimes I think about trading in the time I spend thinking about what I'm going to share with others or how to word things correctly, for thoughts about things I'm thankful for or anything else far more productive.  So I'm remembering this for next holiday.  There's a good chance it's not going to be perfect.  And that is completely okay.  This is a season of life with little kids and it's messy and loud and unpredictable.  And if I get a great picture, then that is a super bonus.  
But if the majority of my pictures look like this, then I'll have plenty of stories to tell her when she's older.   Like how the highlight of this Mother's Day was dancing on the table and showing everyone how big she can open her mouth.