Today’s world and culture are straight crazy. It is almost like we are all in some sort of race with each other to have the newest and BEST things on the market. So not only do we have to keep up with the metaphorical Jones’ family, but the Browns’, the Smiths’, the Johnsons’, ETC!
My children don’t always get to wear name brand clothing. We shop consignment sales and Goodwill and we love things that get passed down from family and friends. In fact, H wore some pajamas the other night that Liam wore when he was her age. We live on a tight budget and sacrifice now so that maybe one day our kids won’t have to.
My husband and I are the same way; we don’t have the latest fashions ourselves. We don’t go out to fancy restaurants or see all of the latest movies that come out every weekend. We don’t have the newest cars, the most up to date books, or technology. Our children don’t have all of the latest toys.
Do we and/or they sound deprived? Maybe to some out there we sound pathetic and sad. But we are rich beyond measure in other areas. We do not have a car payment every month or student loans. We do not have the bank knocking on our door for due payments.
Never do my kids go to bed, whether it be naptime or bedtime, without a few dozen hugs and kisses. Never once do they go hungry or thirsty or cold. We calm their fears, even when it means staying up til the wee hours of the morning after a nightmare or a tummy-ache. My kids are smart, funny, and kind. They are the most beautiful and precious things I have ever seen and held. I am blown away on a daily basis that they are mine to love and mold and teach and learn from. They teach me more than anyone else ever has.
We have an overabundance of love in our home that trumps a million dollars any day. If there’s one thing I want my kids to know, it is that they are loved unconditionally and with everything I have, even when I am upset with them. A mother’s love is powerful; it can make or break a child.
If there is one thing that I want to slow down and model for my children, it is that “stuff” doesn’t reflect wealth; “stuff” doesn’t automatically equal happiness or goodness; find the value in people and experiences, rather than “stuff” that can be lost, destroyed, forgotten.
I have learned that the adventure is never quiet, rarely calm, but always worth it.
