Moms out there, I feel your pain. I don’t have any children, but I empathize with you. I can only imagine the pressure you face these days. It’s no longer enough to sit down to spend quality time doing arts and crafts with your kids. These days your projects must produce Instagram worthy results. You have to pin this and pin that and make sure that your creations turn out perfect and Facebook shareable.
I hear your cries for help. I see them in the form of your social media statuses, where you share craft and baking ideas in the hopes that one of your friends will be the first brave soul to try them out. Which one of you will take the plunge and attempt to make something that remotely resembles whatever it is you are supposed to be making? Who will emerge from the crowd posting the victory photo that will help you to believe you can successfully complete one (just one, please, that’s all you ask!) of these artsy undertakings?
So what happens when your last Pinterest attempt was a disastrous fail? The bunny cake that looked amazing on your tablet screen now sits on your kitchen counter looking more like a sad pile of roadkill. Your caterpillar-shaped apple treats have lost their little heads. The adorable baby owls that you painstakingly fashioned from toilet paper rolls and tissue paper are molting at an alarming rate. You feel doomed to sit with your head down, sad and alone, in the arts and crafts hall of shame.
Friends, I have some good news for you. Your kids still love you. I promise, it’s true. They don’t care about the decapitated snack food or the featherless birds. They care about you, moms, and the fact that you are spending time with them.
Please don’t misunderstand me here. If crafting is your thing then by all means, craft your happy little heart out. Keep dazzling us with fondant covered baked goods. You will continue to be a source of both inspiration and irritation to those of us who remain glue gun-challenged. We’ll ooh and ahh over your painted pallet trees, and we’ll mean it.
I’m not telling you that it’s not okay to be an arts and crafts savant. I’m telling you that it’s okay not to be one. The holidays will not be ruined because you can’t fashion ribbon and pinecones into a spotlight-deserving front door masterpiece. Your babies will still have magical birthdays, even if it looks like they wrapped their own presents. T
How do I know this? I was a kid once. I remember happily finger painting away, thrilled to be allowed to make a mess. I recall fashioning crude Thanksgiving turkeys out of paper plates and construction paper. I have memories of cupcakes my mom made for birthdays, the simple and delicious vanilla ones with chocolate frosting and sprinkles.
The point I’m trying to make is that nowhere in those moments did my child self ever question my mom’s artistic, baking, or decorating talents. I had no idea if what we were making was perfection or garbage because it just didn’t matter. The only thing I knew, and still know, is that I was happy simply having her there with me.
So moms, breathe easy and carry on. Get out those supplies and gather up the little ones for some crafting fun. Make a masterpiece, or make a mess. Laugh over the Pinterest shortfalls and marvel at the magical successes. Because someday your kids are going to remember these days, not for what you did or didn’t accomplish, but for the fact that you did it together. You’ve got this, moms. You’ve got this.
All photo credits: www.pixabay.com
So true!
I am crafty, so I enjoy quite a bit of success, but I know you’re right. I know you’re right because if I want perfection, little hands get in the way. Kids don’t want perfection, they want FUN! Telling kids, “No, not like that!” and outdoing their efforts is not fun!
I am not good at origami, in fact, I suck, but I sat with my son and tried to origami for hours, and we had some great laughs at my expense.
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I don’t have the crafting genes, but I would imagine it could be relaxing. I suppose if you’re going for perfection you should do those when the littles are off at school. I love the origami & laughter- that’s what he’ll remember! 🙂
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Love your post because yes, I am one of those not-so-crafty mums. But I still love spending time with my kids, trying stuff, laughing with them when things don’t turn out and making memories. That’s what it’s all about. Thanks!
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That is exactly what it’s all about! 🙂
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I do not have a craft bone in me and I do not apologize for it…LOL…you are so right, its like nothing can be done in private anymore….
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We share the lack of that craft bone, lol. That’s okay, though, because it makes those who can do look super talented…so we’re just lifting others up! 🙂 Thank you for visiting and dropping a line! Best, Karen
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I’m clearly not a Mum but remember when our kids were little and my wife making amazing birthday cakes for their parties – we even still have the photos, occasionally getting them out for a laugh with the children.
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Fantastic memories! I have a box somewhere in storage with some of those old craft projects. I’m inspired now to go dig them out and take my own stroll down memory lane… 🙂
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My crafty attempts are a bit hit and miss! Sometimes I fail miserably, and others I surprise myself and produce something recognisable! You are right though, it is all about doing stuff together and having fun 🙂
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Yes, so even when you think you have “failed” you really haven’t. You’ve just created wonderful memories instead of a perfect project! Well said, Judy! 🙂
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What a great post and one that really needed to be written! It isn’t about being “perfect” it’s all about making the effort and spending the time. Such an easy thing to forget in this culture of outdoing one another on social media. Some things will never change…sometimes just being there because you want to and not because you’re trying to impress others is more than enough.
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It’s almost like the selfie phenomenon, isn’t it? Sometimes we’re best served to log of the internet and just jump into the moment. It’s okay to be less results-driven in some cases!
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We were having this discussion at work the other day – how instead of the love and fun that went into the creating, there is now the whole panic-inducing ‘have I got it in the right light for Instagram?’ thought, too.
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I’m going to have to follow up with some of the moms on my social media to see how often they actually try the various craft ideas that they share. I rarely see anyone post the “did it!” pictures after they post the original idea. So I wonder, do they get intimidated and never try it? Or do they try it, make a mess of it, but have loads of fun doing so? I’m hoping for the latter!
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It was nice that you wrote this post. I hope many understood the encouragement you are trying to convey. Sadly though I think those of us who are going to take solace in your words of comfort are the very ones who gave the glue gun one try, burnt ourselves, and decided, “F-it! Let’s go buy a box of Betty Crocker cake mix and a tub of icing,” instead of attempting to create the perfect fondant fountain shaped cake. Those really creative moms with that competitive, passionate need for the perfect glue gun experience may not necessarily have the same “F-it!” mentality. 🙂
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I’d love to see more moms jump on the “F-it!” train. I’m willing to bet it’s a whole lot more fun!
You bring up a great point about the competitiveness. Is that trumping the actual act of spending time with your kids and just having fun?
Thank you for coming by to visit, read, and share your thoughts!! Best, Karen 🙂
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This could just as easily be written about and for teachers! We teachers seem to have gotten caught up in the hype about themes, charts, printables, and beautiful classrooms. I’m more than happy to push back against that!
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Yes!! As I was proofreading I thought about teachers and how this could easily apply to you as well. As with moms, the kids in your classrooms are happy to have your attention and your knowledge! Keep pushing back, and thank you for coming by to join the conversation! Best, Karen 🙂
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Great post! Thankfully my son just barely escaped the FB sharing and Pinterest birthdays… I do love the ideas and inspirations but life is full of times when you aren’t going to be perfect and I totally agree with you that we should all feel ok to be “ok” at things! He still loved my cakes even if they were lopsided! 🙂
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Life should be a little bit messy and a lot silly, with a good sprinkling of lopsided! 🙂
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This post made me smile today: check out the burnt offerings! https://www.instagram.com/p/BAuMVKDI9hS/
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That is great, thank you for sharing!! 🙂
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