Somehow the other day I had managed to not go upstairs until after dinner, but when I did this was the mess I saw. I'm not gonna lie--my stomach dropped a little bit and I could feel my blood pressure begin to rise. I knew in that moment I had a choice: I could either yell and fuss at the kids for making such a mess or I could take a deep breath, realize they were only building a fort and in that moment give them grace.
Despite my initial gut reaction of thinking, "Oh no, ANOTHER mess", I am so happy that I chose to give them grace. They were only being kids and having a great time doing so! (I should have known something was going on up there when they had been so quiet and not fighting the whole afternoon! No arguing and quiet usually equals messes!!!) The room is now straight, blankets folded, chairs back to their normal spots, and I didn't die from that mess being there for a few hours.
Sometimes as parents I think we, definitely I, get so trapped in the mentality of balancing a clean, clutter-free home and marking things off our daily To Do List that we forget to let our kids be kids. One of my great friends reminds me that this is their home too. They need to feel comfortable here and having a spotless house shouldn't be our goal. Let their creativity shine through and sometimes messes are going to happen! Enjoy them because one day they won't be here!! Give your kids grace, choose understanding and happiness over stress and worry. (This is more of a reminder to me than anyone else!)
A nice little reminder from my mother that I keep hanging in my kitchen.
If you need any more inspiration look up Wet Oatmeal Kisses, but make sure you have a box of tissues nearby.
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