To Cherish or Not to Cherish
Who needs this reminder: Not all moments are meant to be cherished.
Yesterday, I was working with a mom who was caught in a spiral of pressure and guilt around making every moment with her children count.
We've all heard the well-intended but completely irrational advice: "Cherish every moment! They grow so fast."
But here's the thing: Parenting is not all or nothing and rigid words like aways, never, every and all set us up for disappointment and feeling like a failure.
Let's reframe that sentiment:
Cherish the good moments and make happy memories. But expect there will be some not-so-great moments too. And that's okay.
Parenting involves times of overwhelm, experiences that are just not fun or are down right crappy, and moments where every one of your buttons will be pushed. You don't have to cherish these moments.
Rather, take a deep breath, move past hard moments without guilt or regret, and focus on putting energy into SOME moments that are worth cherishing.
When we keep our expectations rational and realistic, we can better enjoy the parenting journey. 🩵
