Blame it on Pinterest or my inherent perfectionism, probably both, but I found myself wound up in trying to create a "perfect childhood" for our children (and for the records: failing miserably!!) that I forgot that it's not a perfect childhood that will define them later as adults, but a HAPPY childhood.
When I remember my childhood, I think of my mom spending the days before the holidays cleaning. I remember one instance where I asked if she would play a game with us, but she responded that she had to clean the house and we should just play with each other (it needs to be added that our home was always spotless and the "deep cleaning" before the holidays was by no means needed).
But then, I also remember birthdays that were by no means Pinterest-worthy. There were no theme, no perfectly-decorated princess cakes, no hand-crafted give-away bags, no hired clown or organized trasure hunt, but all my cousins, aunts uncles, and a couple of friends having good old-fashioned fun.
This made me think about how kids actually need and want their childhood to be. How they want their parents and their homes to be. If it's necessary to maintain a spotless home at all times or if it is more important to THEM to turn a planned cleaning session into an afternoon of playing games with them. If it's really important how perfect (or not) their cake looks before they eat it, or if it's more important with whom they share their cake.
Therefore, I have picked one word that I want to define this coming year for our family:
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