There is a lot of “Mom Pressure” out here on the world wide web. Pinterest has stepped up it up a notch with all of their tutorials, and ideas and millions of perfectly styled and created crafty-crafts. Don’t get me wrong…. I love Pinterest! I am ALL about a good pin! (If you want to follow me and my pinning on Pinterest… Follow me HERE!) Frankly, sometimes, I just feel a lot of pressure to keep up with all those Pinterest pins and mommies who seem to have time to hand create 6 dozen treats and cards. I have oooed and awed and drooled over your beautiful cute little sayings and cleverly added candies. They are just, well, awesome, adorable, and downright darling! I even pinned a few, thinking that I would squeeze in a few extra hours in working on the best Valentine’s Day cards my kids have ever seen.
Alas….Reality…
It is just not going to happen. I want it to. So badly. I want to be that mom. I want to keep up with the Pinterest Standard. I kinda feel guilty. I mean, I want my kids to have the best. These other moms find time to do these beautiful creations, surely I am a slacker mom for not keeping up with them. I must be doing something wrong with my time management. What could I give up? Should I stay up all night to finish them? Will the 73 students in my kids classes feel utter disappointment if I fail to come through with the best homemade Valentine’s Day Cards EVER????
The truth is… We compare ourselves all the time to these made-up-in-our-head standards. And we need to stop!
And so I realized, I’m not a failure as a mom if I don’t make homemade Valentine’s. You may think I am silly. You probably have NEVER felt the “Mom Pressure.” I hope you haven’t. It’s a constant battle. Maybe it’s not Pinterest that haunts you, maybe it’s the mom next door who never has dirty children, or your co-worker that always looks perfect with perfect hair and perfect makeup (She probably NEVER wears yoga pants to Target!) The truth is… We compare ourselves all the time to these made-up-in-our-head standards. And we need to stop!
I made a trip to the dollar store and spent $3. A whole whopping Three Dollars! And I bought ready-in-the-box Valentine’s Day Cards. Star Wars, Spiderman, Paw Patrol… All perfectly done and ready for a few stickers and the cute signatures of my boys in their best handwriting.
You know what??? They LOVED them! They immediately shouted that I was an AWESOME mom! They weren’t at all disappointed in my choice of Valentine’s Cards for them to give out. In fact, I’m pretty sure that the handmade ones that I had been stressing over would probably been a disappointment.
Kids are not that picky in general. They love simplicity. They like being the same as everyone else most of the time. They just want to have fun and participate. A good lesson for me to learn this Valentine’s Day as I let go of the “Mom Pressure” and stay off of Pinterest for a few days.
This year… I didn’t make homemade Valentine’s Day Cards and I’m STILL an Awesome MOM!!!! And so are you! Whether you made homemade Valentine’s Cards or you bought them at the store, you are a fabulous mom!
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Keikilani
Haha, I ALWAYS buy the store bought ones for my kids. I am WAY too lazy not to.
We buy the store bought ones too, I have three kids which means at least 60 cards total. No one has time for that!
Seriously as long as you do what makes your children happy and feel loved…that’s what matters.
you are awesome no matter what you do – that is a fact! You do what you have time for and they know no difference 😉
Bought! With 5 kids time is not on my side. I allow my kids to pick out what they want to pass out to their friends and I am good with that!
I personally like to try to offer something different – whether a small step that is personalized or a small toy rather than candy. I feel like the kids really enjoy unexpected variety and it helps take the focus off of the massive junk food rush. 🙂
I think it’s important to ignore any guilt or judgment and to be happy for either “type” of Mom who hopefully got buckets filled and happy moments all around.
Oh, I have felt it! I actually wrote a post called “My Life is Not a Pinterest Page” for that very reason. My children have always had store-bought Valentines and they love them. You are a great mom even if you don’t always feel pin-worthy.
🙂
Traci
I’m not sure I ever made them! Storebought for me with candy attached is the way to go.
Kids just love to know they’re being thought of…that’s plenty enough I think. 🙂 Love, safety, and a sense of being valued. Easy peasy. 🙂
That is so true! As a party planner and the publisher of a party blog, I admit, I send my kids to school with store-bought Valentine’s every year. I just don’t have time for the fancy crafty ones! Okay, there…I said it.
And you are still an awesome mom, Tonya!!!
In between work and school we opted out of making our own this year. We looked up a bunch and had a few we wanted to make but ran out of time. They still aren’t done and the party is tomorrow!
Kids don’t care if the card is store brought or hand made, they just want a card. I think mothers should cut themselves a break.