Imperfection is a Good Thing
I just got back from a camping trip with my mom and children. It was a lovely two night stay at a small lake that is just about a 2 hour drive from home. We had the place to ourselves, the wildflowers were in glorious bloom, and the children made a lot of good memories. A pair of bald eagles graced us with their presence and we got to see them dive for their breakfast. We had a lovely hike at dusk and could see for miles from the top of the hike. We identified some flowers we didn’t know the name for before. We had laughter and joking, played card games and cooked over the fire. A friend and her son came to visit us for an afternoon. The last evening we had a yoga session on the green grass overlooking the lake, at sunset. At bedtime the children giggled over a movie in the tent while I sat by the fire and wrote in my journal. The frog song during the night was epic. The stars were glorious. The water play in a creek we stopped at on the way home was refreshing.
Sounds perfect, right? And if you looked through the photos and videos of our trip that I posted on social media, you might think that everything went smoothly…but it didn’t. It never does! I can’t do a family trip perfectly!
The first day I was in so much pain from all the preparations and packing that my children had to unload the truck and set up camp, and my mom cook dinner while I did what I could from a mostly sitting position. My 3-year-old is very strong willed, so the entire trip was peppered with fits and tempers. I even got grouchy and needed a nap at one point myself. My OCD son flipped out on his little brother because he had accidently packed his shorts and underwear instead of his own. There were bug bites and a rattle snake sighting that spooked us. My husband wasn’t able to join us because of his work duties, and we all missed him.
I’m not asking for sympathy by listing these things, this kind of stuff is just reality. There are no perfect trips. And that is perfectly fine. I don’t often post about the hardships because the good and beautiful things usually overshadow them. I am so blessed to get to share these memories with my children and mother.
If I focused on the harder parts, I would have a hard time being thankful for all the lovely things.
If that were my focus, I would also not consider the efforts of getting my family away from the distractions of every day life worth the pain it costs me. But it totally is.
Pain is a temporary thing; bonds between family last forever (I believe into eternity). The two children in the picture above have a hard time being patient with each other at home, and yet they love to go on adventures together. It does my heart good to see them loving each other well in this glorious setting.
Camping may not be your family’s thing, or within your realm of capability right now, but you, mama, have a lot of power in setting the atmosphere for your family. So what can you plan to encourage family time and bonding? It can be as simple as a game night or a walk around the neighborhood after dinner. God made you creative and intelligent, I know you will come up with something great and nourishing.
Just remember that it won’t be perfect. It can’t! There will be hang ups and temper tantrums and mishaps, but that is ok. That is life. And how you respond to them lets your children know that it is ok, too.
When imperfections blot your day, it just gives you opportunity to thank God for all the blessings He has also sent your way.
Much love, mamas
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