Facing Pinterest guilt

“No work or love will flourish out of guilt, fear, or hollowness of heart, just as no valid plans for the future can be made by those who have no capacity for living now.” – Alan Watts

I often remind myself that I can do anything (well, pretty much anything), but not everything. This mantra comes in handy when I start to worry about all those things parents worry about. Is my son getting all the nutrients he needs in his diet? I should make more homemade meals and snacks for him. Is he stimulated appropriately at playtime? I should build him a sensory table and work in more Montessori practices. Is that Meghan Trainor he’s dancing to? I should play more classical music.

This internal dialogue could go on and on. In fact, I’m sure that if my son were eating homemade carrot chips while playing at his sensory table and listening to Bach, I would just think of something else I could do.  And if I’m really honest, I would say something else I could feel guilty about. There are times when I start to feel a little overwhelmed by all the stuff I think I could or should be accomplishing, especially when it comes to my family.

After visiting friends recently and hanging out in their awesome playroom (where I got these shots), I thought we should plan for a play area of our own. Now that our son is mobile (and into everything), it would be nice for him to have a space of his own to explore with more freedom.

Enter Pinterest. And more specifically, Pinterest guilt. For me, Pinterest is a slippery slope. And I’m not the only one who feels this way. I log in looking for a particular idea or project and end up binge-pinning a dozen inspiring things. The guilt comes as I start realizing that for whatever reason, I’m likely not going to get around to implementing all these pins. Like ever. I wish I were as crafty as Martha Stewart. And maybe if I made the time, I could pull off lots of the things I pin. But if I’m honest, those things just aren’t a priority for me. If they were, they’d get done. So I try to focus on the things I do manage to do and try to do them well. And sometimes, I succeed. 🙂

I was inspired to write this post by the Daily Post’s prompt which asked what you would do if you walked into someone’s home and realized it was a replica of your own.  On the contrary, sometimes I wish I could walk into my own home and see a replica of my Pinterest pins!  Where’s the easy button?

Whatever form it comes in, inspiration can be overwhelming sometimes and, as Brittany Blake described in a Clickin Moms post this week, it can be constant.  I can’t control everything (although I’ve tried!), but I can try to ensure that my values and priorities are reflected in the choices I do have.  For now, that means my son’s play room is located right in the middle of our living room.  Instead of labeled bins, he has clothes baskets to hold his toys, but there’s at least fun for the whole family, dog and cats included.  The rest of the stuff I’ll get to.  Or maybe not. 🙂

What about you? Do you experience Pinterest or parenting guilt?  How do you prioritize?