Before kids, I had pictures in my mind of what life would look like when I was a mom. Today, 11 years into life with our three sons, the reality barely resembles those now warm, fuzzy mental images. Our life is enriching and loving on the whole, yet at times it is so full of minutiae, in work and family, that there is little time for the proper preparation and thoughtful consideration that was part of the pre-kids chapter. Today, “just getting it done” is a necessity.
This week’s Wixii-ism resonates: “I’m not telling you it’s going to be easy. I’m telling you it’s going to be worth it.” And, at Women in the Mix, we believe it is important to give ourselves permission to wing it in the challenging moments, and I am using my family as testing ground for the “winging it” principle. I am realizing that the month of May may actually be the busiest month (replacing December) for parents with school-aged children with the end of school activities, sport practices, games and tournaments, projects, field-trips, and summer prep in addition to the regular day in/day out responsibilities. To take a break from the busy schedules, we are off on the 3rd Annual Memorial Day “Seawell’s Go Griswold RV adventure” and head to see a part of Americana – the National Parks. This year we are headed to the Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. We will prepare as best as we can in the days leading up to the trip between all
the chaos – and then we wing it! Undoubtedly like in years past, we will forget creature comforts, and need to make do with the bare essentials. However, there is a simplicity in these trips that is not often found in our days. In the
five of us together, we have guaranteed adventure and mishap resulting in memories for a lifetime. For my husband and me, the unscripted and unplanned moments often are the true gems in our life and remind us that our audience (our sons) are not hard to please and do not demand or expect perfection. Children are the epitome of “winging it” specialists with their impulsive natures.
To further illuminate this point, this week’s Featured Wixii, Amanda, shares a poignant story of her mom winging it: “I’ll never forget one Christmas Eve when I was in elementary school. My mom had been in trial all month, and on the way home from church at about 9:00 p.m., she realized she hadn’t yet made it to the grocery store to get food for Christmas dinner. This was before stores were open on major holidays. So, we stopped at a 7-11 and she let my brother and me pick out whatever we wanted for our “special” Christmas dinner. And you better believe we went hog wild with some interesting convenience-store food options. Now, as a parent, I know that was gut-wrenching for her. But, as a child I just remember thinking she was the best mom ever for letting us have a treat like that. I learned from my mom that a good “mix” doesn’t have to be perfect. It doesn’t even have to be pretty. It just has to work.”
