Do You Have The Disease to Please?

 

  I remember when my first 3 kiddos were little, I thought everything had to be immaculate in our home.  I cleaned, cleaned and you guessed it, cleaned. I didn't enjoy my children. I got frustrated when they made a mess, and I never wanted them to play with their toys. I was in a constant state of frenzy because I felt I had to have a home that looked a certain way. I blame this on the way I was brought up, but also on the fact that certain family members would just drop by without notice and would criticize me if everything wasn't just so.  I use to be a people pleaser. I wanted their approval more than I wanted my family to be happy in their own home.

     When I turned 26, and we had our 4th baby, something just struck me like a bolt of lightening. Why was I so interested in what people thought of me and how I kept my home?  Now don't get me wrong, I still like things clean, but I also want a home that my family feels comfortable in.  I want them to play and have fun.  I want them to drag their toys out and giggle when they wrestle with daddy on the living room floor.  I want to have pillow fights and be able to play in the mud without having a mom constantly nagging them to stay clean.

      By the time we had our 6th baby, I was all over impressing others and all about pleasing my family.  This mom turned in her Drill Sergeants hat for a straw hat that she wears while playing in the dirt in our gardens. We have fun now!  We laugh and play.  We still all have our chores to do, but it isn't a constant battleground of keeping things perfect.  I set my family free!

     If you are a people pleaser like I was, please take a good hard look at what you are doing to the atmosphere of your home. Is it inviting or just a showplace where no one, especially your family members, feel  comfortable and creative?  Let down your hair and enjoy life. Don't let the years pass you by like I did. Have Fun Today!!!!!