Parenting Advice you Should Ignore

“I swear they’ve completely forgotten what it’s like to be a parent!”

My husband has just walked in the door after a trip to the hardware store with our little boys. Yet another well meaning shopper has reminded him to, “Enjoy every moment because they grow up so fast.”

I know they mean to remind us that childhood is brief in the grand scheme. It’s a precious and unique time. That part is true.

But the notion that every moment could possibly be enjoyable? That’s laughable.

And if I feel that I should be enjoying every moment, I’ll waste my kids’ childhood drowning in guilt. That would kind of be the opposite of enjoying every moment.

So, no. Do not try to “Enjoy every moment.” Don’t even consider working towards it.

Enjoy your kids - more often. This, we can work toward.

• We can do the inner work - releasing guilt and heavy expectations and deciding to let go of things that don’t matter.

• We can continue to improve at the household stuff so it stresses us out less, so there is more breathing more for connecting and enjoying our children.

• We can offload excessive stuff and responsibilities that keep us from enjoying our kids.

That’s what I’m here on the internet for—to help busy parents like you find freedom so you can enjoy your parenting journey and your kids more. More often, anyway.

But every second of the day? No way, we will not enjoy every moment. And we will not feel guilty about it, either. It’s unrealistic. It’s an expectation that doesn’t fit our real lives. And there’s no room in our closets for that.