My kids are off from school next week for winter break.
My brain said, "That'll be fun—I'm excited for what we'll do together." And then my brain said, "Ohhhh. That was never how I thought before! What's going on! Aren't I supposed to dread kids off of school? Aren't I supposed to freak out that I'll lose my sanity and not get any time for myself, and be bored trying to figure out entertaining kids’ activities?"
But I wasn't thinking or feeling any of those things. And it felt really good to have created a new default way of thinking.
And here's the secret to that: I stopped thinking that to-do lists are productive, and being present with my kids isn't.
My brain used to say, "OK, the kids are off of school. You can't get anything done now."
We live in a society where productivity is overvalued. And is measured by items on a to-do list. So when we're with our kids, our minds are busy racing with all the things we need to “get done” and all the things we aren't “getting done.” But what if being with your kids, present with them, listening, paying attention, ruffling their hair, cuddling with them—what if all that IS productive? THAT's my goal for the next week and a half: have fun with my kids.
SO—decide in advance how you want to think about your kids being off of school. How you want to feel about it. How you want to approach it. And let go of believing that productivity is found elsewhere. And that accomplishment is found elsewhere.
Greatest accomplishment as a mom? Being there for your kids.
You got this. 💪
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