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The Nurtured Mommy
PRESERVE YOUR SANITY
By: Denise E. Bailey | November 3, 2022
The holidays are coming and the hustle and bustle is too. So, how do we preserve our sanity and still get those darn holiday cards out? A few years ago, I was prepping our outfits and choosing a location for our mini photo session. I was running around like crazy. One of our girls didn’t want to wear the outfit that I had meticulously picked out. Everyone was hungry. It was cold out. And I mistakenly chose a park where all the girls wanted to do was go down the slide. My husband looked miserable, but, when the photographer said, “SMILE”, we all did. Then we got in the car and everyone was spun. I thought to myself…what am I doing? What am I modeling to our three young daughters?
I absolutely love this time of year, and before I was a mama it was all about holiday parties and shopping. But now, there is something deeply bothering me. It is the insatiable hunger for more–which I am inherently creating in my children. Not to mention the subliminal false pursuit of perfectionism that sparks during this time of year. I truly do know better than this.
We want so badly to create the holiday magic that we are forgetting to teach them what truly matters most. Gratitude. Their glass (just like ours) is always either half full or half empty. It’s a choice, and we have to model how to make it. My husband and I have made a conscious effort to slow down this holiday season (not at work though, it is a crazy time).
Here are the five things we want to do better this holiday season:
- Consider purchasing no more than three gifts for each of our girls.
- Help them organize and clean out their toys. Donate only the ones in good condition to a local charity. Help them understand that they have more than enough.
- Sign up to adopt a family in need and have our girls shop for and wrap their gifts.
- Make a list of things that they want to do as a family during the holiday break.
- Slow them down when they keep asking for more.
Denise Bailey is a coffee lover, over-sharer, and truth seeker who is dedicated to vulnerably discussing the not so pretty parts of this amazing role. She is inspired by her three daughters to help women manage their expectations, let go of perfectionism, and lean into their enoughness. Denise is working on becoming a published author while simultaneously helping her husband launch his Impact Fund.
Read more on her Instagram @thenurturedmommy