I Am What I Am
I don’t like scrapbooking. I have no desire to redecorate my home. I could care less whether I know how to create roses out of frosting on cakes. The garden in my backyard has gone untouched since we moved into the house over five years ago.
For a long time these things made me feel inadequate as a mom. Get into a conversation with a group of moms and pretty soon someone is going to start talking about something crafty, whether it’s the shade of paint they plan to use on their kitchen walls or the layout they want to use for their next scrapbook page. I listen to these conversations and try to stay focused, but I have to tell you that my mind starts to wander to other things when this stuff is the topic.
It’s not that I don’t want to be interested in these things. When I walk into a friend’s house and everything is perfectly decorated for an upcoming holiday I’m impressed and a little bit jealous. When I go to a playgroup with my kids and another mom shows up with cute little gift bags for all the kids I kick myself for not even thinking about bringing something. Do I want to have an interest in these things? Sure, I would love to.
Then again, as Popeye would say, I yam what I yam. It has only been recently that I realized that not only will I probably never start a garden in my backyard, but that I really should stop beating myself up over the lack of tomato plants flourishing within the Grand Garden of Weeds. So what if I can’t hem a skirt (and really don’t have a desire to learn)? This is me, and I’m happy to declare that I have accepted it.
I have other things to contribute as a mom. We’re not gardening, but we spend plenty of time out in nature exploring. We may not have the perfect decor within our home, but we are comfortable and things are clean. Hey, I’m not a perfect mom, but I’m the only mom my kids have. I’ll give them the best that I have and not waste my time trying to fit someone else’s expectations of what a mom should be like. It’s incredibly freeing to realize that I just don’t like certain things and that’s okay.
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Science-mom says...
You are not the only one. I always make New Year’s resolutions about house-improvement projects that never get done. And I’m useless when it comes to sewing and decorating. The other day I told my husband maybe I should to a decorating class for beginners. And he said, no, I like and our home just as you are. Let’s save the money for travelling instead. Ok, deal.