Anyone else have ‘The Shoulds?’

They’re everywhere, aren’t they?

And isn’t it easy to get lost in the noise???

Social media. TV. Parenting articles. YouTube. How-To books. Podcasts.

Lately all I hear clanging in my mind are SO MANY SHOULDS.

Like…

I should get up every morning so I can pray or read or meditate or do yoga or somehow get a jump on the day.

I should go back to work so I can contribute financially. I mean, I can do it ALL, right?!

I should get more exercise. Take up weight-lifting. Or pure barre. And also run more. Farther. Faster.

I should lose this weight. And eat more fruits and vegetables.

And I should definitely cut out sugar. And carbs. And red meat. And dairy. And soda. (And happiness, apparently).

I should cook at home every single night so we can sit down together as a family and do High/Low around the table.

Oh, and this one is the most important…

I should spend MORE TIME with the kids (never mind I’ve been with them 24 hours a day for, oh I don’t know, 40 million years of quarantine!!!).

I should give them more chores. And more independence. And more challenges. And more space. And more one-on-one time.

I should do whatever possible to ensure they are perfect prodigy children…in EVERYTHING!

But really, I should just let them be kids.

I should put my marriage first. Learn my partner’s love language. Have regular date nights.

And I should definitely have more sex!

I should Kon Mari our home. Find a system for all this laundry. Fix my bed every morning.

I should probably become a minimalist. But also volunteer, join a book club, drink more water, and get more sleep.

And I should really, really, really work on ‘self care.’

I guess I should get up earlier every morning so I have plenty of time to pray and read and do morning yoga and somehow be thinner, prettier, healthier and more self-confident while volunteering, working outside our perfectly organized home, and putting my marriage first all while spending more one-on-one time with each child as I foster their independence and let them all just be kids.

Oh, and I forgot to mention…

I SHOULD ENJOY EVERY MOMENT.

You guys!!!!!!

No. Just NOOOOOO.

‘The Shoulds’ will ruin our ALREADY LOVELY LIVES!!

So, today I’m moving forward with only this ONE should…

I should just BE.

Be present, be grateful, be content, be enough, be ordinary, be ME.

Want to join me???

Awesome!

Now go BE you.