Don’t forget

If you’re like me and have kids, you want to make sure that you give them a good childhood and life.

I don’t believe in spoiling children to become brats, but I’ve definitely been accused of possibly going overboard for their birthday and Christmas. I also spare no expense when it comes to our family vacation. I want them to look back on their childhoods and remember that no matter what, we showed up, they were loved, and we tried to make them feel special and spend time together.

There’s a saying that resonates with me because sometimes I get so “in the weeds” with the details of things that I forget to zoom out and enjoy it to the fullest because I want it to be special for everyone else. I want my kids to grow up and remember that they had a clean home and that I always decorated for the holidays. I want them to look back and remember that no matter what activity they were involved in, they had their parents there to support them. I want them to have fondness for vacations and know that even if it’s just a trip a few hours away – it still felt like something really special because of the memories we made.

Oftentimes in families, the mother becomes the “cruise director.” I know it’s a role I naturally assume just because of my personality. I am a planner by nature and a teacher at heart, so planning is just part of who I am. I also realize that things don’t materialize if you don’t make plans. Birthdays and Christmas are not as special if you don’t put effort and energy into making them special. A vacation doesn’t magically get planned and paid for by chance.

While I recognize that there’s a need to plan and attention to detail is important, I want to use this summer to be less of a cruise director and enjoy the trip.

I saw a quote that hit me that read, “Don’t get so busy trying to give your kids a good life that you forget to give them a good day.”

It was a good reminder to me that it’s easy to fall into the trap of planning and organizing, but it’s also important to zoom out, look around you, take it in, and enjoy it. These kids are going to grow up so quickly, and while I want them to have special memories, I need to realize that sometimes the best memories they will have will be the unplanned moments. It will be the simple things like getting ice cream or having a movie night. Maybe it doesn’t always have to be a production. Sometimes a hot dog on the back patio with bare feet and some music in the background is all the memory they need for that day.

I need to remember this myself.

Megan Rathz is a wife, mother, and teacher. She says everything she has ever learned in life came from her Master Gardener mother.