Let's make like Elsa and let it go...

Thanks (more like no thanks) to the enormously popular Disney movie, Frozen, I can't hear the phrase 'let it go; without singing it in my head. I know I'm not alone.

This is my daughter singing Let it Go...for the millionth time.

Sometimes we (myself included) get so wrapped up in the what to dos and what not to dos of parenting. We consistently second guess ourselves on whether we are doing the right things. The amount of willing advice at our fingertips is astounding. Of course we do this to ourselves, constantly researching and pinning websites that contain ways to make us better parents. But why do we do this?? It's so easy to start criticizing ourselves for doing things that we shouldn't be doing or should be doing more of...and believe me, I am 100% at fault for doing it myself.

I am currently on a Pinterest strike. No offense Pinterest, but I can't handle reading any more articles or blogs on awesome crafts or sensory activities to do with my kids. It makes me mad that I don't do enough...and then I feel sad about it and then I feel guilty because my kids are the ones that are suffering. I once tried a sensory bin of uncooked rice and misc tools. It was a disaster. I actually updated my FB status with my failure, as if admitting to it would make me feel better. This is what I said:

"I decided today that I was going to be one of those cool moms who do fun sensory activities with their toddler. Uncooked white rice in a big plastic tub with a bunch of containers and utensils on wood floor with TWO big towels underneath. I thought it was safe because of the TWO towels...not just one. K had a blast...I was a nervous wreck. Every single grain of rice that hit the floor made me cringe. When I finally decided that I had enough, after the play escalated to tossing handfuls on the floor, K had a fit and grabbed the rice covered towel and shook it. I will probably be finding rice under various pieces of furniture for the next 5 years. Never again."

Maybe it's my type A personality that gets in the way of being that cool fun mom who packs her kids days full of DIY projects and edible sand (???). Just the thought of it makes me want to go wash my hands. I enjoy reading about all the cool projects and messy sensory activities but really, out of the hundreds of ideas I've pinned, how many have I done? And this is just one aspect of parenting. I could go on and on about the different areas of advice. Nutrition, electronic use and over simulation, discipline, sleep habits, ways to develop fine motor skills, how to potty train in 3 days, 100 things your toddler needs to know before kindergarten...ahhhh!

Ok, so I do like researching and finding answers to dilemmas I just can't figure out or learning about tips on organization hacks for example...and I am aware that all of these articles contain advice. I certainly don't have to listen to it. No one's forcing me to do these crafts or discipline my kids a certain way. It's my own internal struggle that I'm dealing with. The internal struggle of trusting my gut and raising my kids how I think they should be raised...or constantly trying to find the perfect way to teach, mentor, and love my kids. It's exhausting but I don't want to make a mistake. But I will...and so will you...and that's ok. There are many different types of people and many different types of parenting styles but we all share a common denominator. We all are trying to do the best we can, and I say that's enough. Stop beating yourself up for allowing your toddler to play on the ipad or for realizing she ate just an apple for dinner (or a bag of animal crackers...or a doughnut). Tomorrow is a new day. We should just let it go (let it gooo) and trust that it will all be alright in the end.