{Not at all} Wordless Wednesday: Soaking In My Childrens’ Summer

Do you ever stop and think about how far away adults get from the simplicity of childhood?

Ok, I may be stating the obvious, but really, have you ever actually stopped to think about how much you over-complicate your own life.

I don’t mean the day-to-day parental responsibilities.  Life does come with certain unavoidable baggage and decisions we don’t want to make.  And there are more of them when you have kids than before.

What I mean is, I’ve spent a lot of time this summer thinking about what I do (to myself).  How much of my day I spend worrying about what someone else thinks rather than having fun.  There is a verse in Amy Grant’s song “Don’t try so hard” that goes like this,

Do you remember how the summers felt when we were kids
Oh we didn’t think much about it,
we just lived
Taking our time,
beautiful leisure
When did we start,
trying to measure up
And all this time,
love has been trying to tell us

Don’t try so hard
God gives you grace and you can’t earn it
Don’t think that you’re not worth it
Because you are
He gave you His love and He’s not leaving
Gave you His Son so you’d believe it
You’re lovely even with your scars
Don’t try so hard

It’s kind of makes you think, doesn’t it?  Or is that just me?

I always knew adults can find lost joy through the eyes of babes.  That’s, honestly, a big part of the reason we decided to start a family.  The joy in the little things was fading away and we thought, “What are we waiting for?”  But then I got caught up in this world, trying to “keep up with the Joneses” and measure up… to who?

I haven’t been online much because I really have made an intentional effort the past few months to invest more time in enjoying my kids and my husband.  To spend any “extra” time communicating with them and making them feel special and loved and like they aren’t peripheral annoyances that somehow get in the way.

Writing that, it sounds a little nuts that it would ever get that far, but flip on the TV and watch an episode of just about any sitcom, and that’s exactly the message you’ll get.  That it’s okay to treat your husband like he’s a moron or your kids like they’re screw ups.  Yes, we all have our human moments when we snap, and I understand that sitcoms are satirical, but it’s so easy to get swept up in that line of thought.  I did.

Speaking of, my little annoyances need some lunch.

Happy {rear} end of summer!

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