Have you noticed these days that we are bombarded by advertising about what our "perfect life" should look like?
You see a holiday advertised, kids playing happily in the sea, Dad whirling Mom around on the sand, with their perfect bodies, hair and make up. Did your last vacation look like this?? I thought not! Life can be beautiful but it is never perfect like these commercials. Sometimes life can be messy but perfect at the same time, it's important to realize these moments in your life that are 'perfect' to you. I have seen Moms that have picture perfect houses, which I can assure you I do not have! My house always needs a severe tidy up prior to guest arriving but I wouldn't have it ay other way. People are striving for those perfect magazine houses and taking it quite seriously! Recently I noticed a fellow Mom post pictures of her daughters sleepover and they were at a table painting. One Mom commented about how the sight of that paint on her dining room table would give her a heart attack. She told the Mom she was "brave' allowing them to paint at all. This fills me with sadness as I have encountered many Moms who houses are picture perfect at all time and their kids know better than to touch anything!! I feel sadness that the children feel on edge if they even spill a crumb which will be promptly swept up by an angry Mom complaining about always having to clean. Our children are such a gift and their childhood can fly by and be over before we even realize it. We should be encouraging our kids to experiment at the kitchen table, draw, paint and invent at the kitchen table. Kitchen tables are meant to be the heart of the house where all sort of debates and conversations happen. I love how my kitchen table has signs of wear and tear on it. The marks are memories of slime making afternoons, inventions, cooking and painting times. The marks remind me they are not little long, reminding me to allow them to make a mess (within reason of course) and become responsible for cleaning it up. Kids need to get messy. They need to get dirty. They need to learn what makes a spectacular mess which is difficult to clean up. These are life lessons. Perfection is not about having the perfectly pristine, spotless house with children who are immaculate at all times. Life is not about having the perfect figure, hair, make up and clothes and the seemingly perfect marriage. The more we portray these images on advertising, the more the general public will strive to reach those "perfect' goals. Children are no longer allowed to get dirty, their "good clothes" they wear everyday. Is it any wonder that people hide away their "less than perfect" feelings and find it difficult to speak about their "less than perfect" problems?? Life doesn't have to be "perfect" to be perfect. Find your own definition of perfect being imperfectly you!!
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AuthorMargaret Burton Archives
February 2020
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