It was four weeks after the move, and boxes were still not unpacked. I wondered how much it would cost to hire a professional organizer? Why can’t I be more like Joanna Gaines? Can I go to Home Goods and follow someone who looks cool around to get some ideas?
I lived in South Florida about ten years ago and was sure I wouldn’t return. My eight-year-old son and I moved about a month ago. After beginning my career in a small town, I received a job offer I couldn’t turn down and returned to Broward County with a new sense of adventure! Wait, what’s that sound? Oh, God, just laughing at my plans again.
We have quickly and surprisingly traded our daily sweet tea with lemon for Colombian empanadas and Peruvian ceviche as we explore and fall in love with the local small businesses around us. Then reality hit. New places. New expectations. New adventures. New fears. New loneliness? The tribe that we slowly formed is now hours away, and the loneliness hit us hard! So then you ask yourself the most obvious question “What would Wonder Woman do?” Apparently, she puts on her mascara, makes sure her son’s uniform is clean and ready for the next day and drinks more coffee than Lorelai Gilmore. She tries out different churches and prays her child makes a friend after visiting one time, feeling defeated if he doesn’t. She tries, maybe a little too hard, to schedule playdates with parents she’s never met (Thanks again, COVID). And after being exhausted from holding it together, she remembers the most important thing, G-R-A-C-E.
Mommas, we’ve heard it before, to be at our best for our families, we need to take care of ourselves. We regularly demand perfection from ourselves. Not only is this unattainable, but it is unhealthy. But if we walked in grace, a little extra kindness to ourselves, and remembered that patience is a virtue and a fruit of the Spirit, maybe we’d all be a little bit happier. I am here to tell you; my child is proof that kids will survive if frozen yogurt is for dinner on the occasional nights that you’re too tired to make dinner (Tip: Make them add fruit as a topping, and you provide them with vitamins, minerals, and fiber!). Let’s agree to ask for help when we need it, build our tribes, and demand grace from ourselves. Let us intentionally walk in the hope that despite the adjustment in your child’s life.
Whether they are starting a new school, facing family transitions, are returning to campus for the first time in a long time, or recently moved, locally or long distance, they will be okay. Love them. Have grace on them. And while you’re at it, love yourself well too.
Share with us! What’s the craziest thing your child has had for dinner?
