I used to have a neurotic need to control the environment around me. To make it perfect and untouchable. Everything put in the right spot, eternal. Then I had my kid. I had to learn that so much stuff doesn't matter. Who cares if she draws on the fridge. The living room is a living room not a museum. Of course there's going to be toys and other signs of life everywhere. The dining table will have scuffs and marks from life on it. Accepting this has been liberating.
I've noticed that, and I have to admit I'm not 100% perfect. My kid is really good, I can take her anywhere but sometimes I forget she's four when she acts up and I have to stop and remind myself that she's four and she's acting like a four year old.
I used to have a neurotic need to control the environment around me. To make it perfect and untouchable. Everything put in the right spot, eternal. Then I had my kid. I had to learn that so much stuff doesn't matter. Who cares if she draws on the fridge. The living room is a living room not a museum. Of course there's going to be toys and other signs of life everywhere. The dining table will have scuffs and marks from life on it. Accepting this has been liberating.
It's good that you learned to accept that because I think a lot of parents don't. They seem perpetually angry at their children for being children.
I've noticed that, and I have to admit I'm not 100% perfect. My kid is really good, I can take her anywhere but sometimes I forget she's four when she acts up and I have to stop and remind myself that she's four and she's acting like a four year old.