Wonder Woman

I once knew a woman who was constantly looked down on by her mother in law because her home was not perfectly clean. This mom spent her days taking care of her son knowing the days with him were short. She chose to enjoy every moment possible. While she kept up with household chores while he napped there were some things that were neglected, but a perfect house wasn’t of great importance to her.

Once you have children your time is no longer your own. Your days are filled tending to other people’s needs. Often it may seem there are not enough hours in the day to cram in everything you need to do.

If you weren’t feeling badly enough about all the chores you’ve left undone, along comes Wonder Woman whose house is in perfect order, never fixes her family frozen pizza for dinner and is always impeccably dressed with her perfect hair and perfect make-up. The same goes for her kids. You think it’s great if your kids are all fully clothed. We all inwardly do not like this Wonder Woman.

Let me tell you a secret, even Wonder Woman has dust bunnies under her bed.

Solomon tells us in Ecclesiastes there is a time for everything under heaven. There is a time for us to plant our gardens and also a time to pick the vegetables that have grown there. The key is that we must do everything in its time. When our children are young, we must put time and effort into raising them. Read a book or play a game with them. Forget the laundry that isn’t folded and the pile of dishes on the counter that is growing larger by the second. What is truly important here? The child.

Take the thirty minutes to an hour, or even a whole day if necessary, to spend time with your precious offspring. No, the laundry and the dishes won’t be done, but they’ll still be there later – trust me on this, I know.

Take note of what is truly important and spend your time there. No one ever said on their deathbed they wished their house was cleaner. Yes, the mess may make your home seem a little more chaotic, but you are creating something pretty special in that chaos – a happy childhood. Don’t worry about perfection. Your home should be clean enough to be healthy, but perfection can be a trap and an unattainable goal.

The holiday season is fast approaching. We seem to be called on to make each year surpass the last. But remember, we cannot do everything all at once, but we can do everything in its own time. That makes you Wonder Woman.