I recently came across a post referring to what kids need to hear and say a quote that said, “Remind them that everything in life is figure-out-able.” And I thought to myself… I think sometimes we as parents need to be reminded of that as well.
We often make decisions based on our previous experiences. Our kids may go to public school because that’s what we did, we send our newborn to daycare because our friend’s child goes to the same one, we sleep train because we’re told our child should already be sleeping through the night, and the list goes on.
Consider this your gentle reminder that when it comes to your kid, you always have options. You don’t have to go the traditional public school route just because you did. There are so many other great options out there now. If you’ve ever been interested in homeschooling but don’t want to be your child’s full-time teacher, did you know you can join a group of parents where you each take turns teaching a lesson to a small group of kids once a week?
If you loathe the thought of putting your child daycare but think it is your only childcare option because of affordability, did you know that sharing a nanny with another family is possible and could potentially cut your childcare costs in half? And did you know it is also completely normal for a 1-year-old to still not be sleeping through the night without support from his or her parents but society tells we need to get them sleeping independently early so that we can get back to work. Did you know there are several flexible work options available to you that exist beyond your current employer?
I bring a couple of these examples to your attention to simply get you thinking. When things feel hard, I encourage you to take a moment and give yourself time to think about the situation in front of you. Consider if there is another way to get to your desired outcome. As moms, we already carry enough mom guilt around. We don’t need to add more to things that are actually within our control.
What specific situation (past or present) did this post make you think of while you read it? What can you do today to make a change to a current situation that is no longer serving you or your family?