The Case of the Sillies

Mommy wearing a clown nose!

Lighten Up

I have always wanted to be a fun mom.  You know the kind that is always smiling and has her kids cracking up and begging for more?  Unfortunately, once you have more than one kid it gets very complicated to have fun.  In order to have fun and be fun you have to be, well, relaxed.  And who, as a mom, is always relaxed?

I am one of those serious, goal-driven moms that needs beds made, dishes done, teeth brushed, floors swept, and kids dressed before 8 a.m.  (We wake up around 6:30 am in the Mac household).  I feel like the only time I'm not "on" is the moment John walks through the door in the evening.  And by then, seriously, I'm exhausted.

BUT--I am learning that I can still be a goal-driven mom and find moments throughout the day to "let my hair out" and be silly with the kids.  And they LOVE it!  They love when we do things out of the ordinary and shake things up.  Whether it be doing a silly dance, or singing a funny song, or just basically being a nut!

At one of our MOPS meetings this year (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers) a bunch of moms shared what they do to lighten the mood so they don't get frustrated or explode or overreact.  You know those moments when you feel like you can't handle one more thing the kids do wrong, or you've picked up the same toy 40 times, or you have broken up a teasing match for the last time.  And my one friend says right around 5pm when everyone starts melting before dinner time and everyone is getting cranky she does a coffee dance/song and the kids love it and look forward to it.

I think when we realize that we don't have to take ourselves so seriously, when we stop a moment and look into their sweet faces, when we breathe and allow ourselves to relax, and we take time to just laugh and be silly with the kids they get to see the fun side.  They actually get to see that we are human too!  They learn that we can be a kid and have fun, and you know what, they relax, and breathe easier and can have fun too.  

One person I absolutely adore is Bill Weaver.  He is one of the silliest dads I know.  My kids love going to Uncle Bill's house because he does puppet shows for them, he wears wigs, he does voices, and he just lets them have fun.  His three children are awesome!  They all have such great senses of humor and when you are with them you just feel completely at ease.  Bill has taught me that taking time to be silly with my kids is a great investment of time, and you have to be intentional and think of fun ways to be silly.  If the moment is getting too serious or too intense for some reason do something to make them laugh.  It will make everyone feel better!