Guest Post: Courtney Schulist ‘When not enough is OK’

Please welcome Courtney to Jamie’s Thots! Courtney is another contributor to the ongoing Enough series. Here she talks about “when not enough is OK.” 

not enough is ok

As I was preparing dinner tonight I looked around my house and was disgusted with the state of it. Never mind I had been ill, febrile, and plastered to the couch for the past few days, all I could see was what needed to be done. The floor was covered in dog hair. The table was scattered with papers. My children needed bathed. Clothes laid around needing to be put up, and toys littered the floor. Not to mention, I would still have to do the dishes after dinner.

I realized that there was no way I was going to get everything done in the amount of time that I had pictured in my mind. I was annoyed with that thought, and kept saying to myself  “You should be doing more.” Then, a small voice in my head said “What you are doing is enough.” That moment, I was doing what was important – preparing dinner. I was taking care of my family’s needs. That was enough. Everything else was extra credit.

Being a parent is already a tough job. Add to it the pressure of society telling you that what you are doing isn’t enough. You aren’t caring enough. You aren’t loving enough. You aren’t fun enough. You aren’t disciplining your children enough. You aren’t healthy enough. You aren’t good enough.

To this, I say:

Enough, society.

I’ve given you enough.

I don’t have enough.

Not being enough is OK.

 

It is ok to let the toys stay out a bit longer and leave laundry to get a little wrinkled.

It is ok to leave the dishes for the night.

It is ok to let the children bathe in the morning.

It is ok to take care of your family’s needs and not societies opinions.

It is ok.

What you are doing is enough.

 

Courtney is a freelance writer, editor and public speaker living in the heart of Arkansas. She blogs about her faith, homeschooling, and raising special needs children as a single mother. When she is not blogging, you can find her advocating for people with disabilities, enjoying true crime documentaries, and trying to find downtime. You can find Courtney on her blog http://lifeasaconvert.com or on twitter @LifeAsAConvert.
Courtney is a freelance writer, editor and public speaker living in the heart of Arkansas. She blogs about her faith, homeschooling, and raising special needs children as a single mother. When she is not blogging, you can find her advocating for people with disabilities, enjoying true crime documentaries, and trying to find downtime. You can find Courtney on her blog http://lifeasaconvert.com or on twitter @LifeAsAConvert.

 

 

26 comments / Add your comment below

  1. Wow, Courtney, where is society when you need it?!

    Someone should have been bringing you a bit of dinner, at least, and in the good ol’ days, someone would have brought a helping hand, too.

    Sorry we don’t live closer. You could have called me and I would have helped.

    Get well! 🙂

  2. My house looks like a tornado blew through all the time. I can only do so much in a day, so I have ti prioritize. Cleaning up is not always a priority.

  3. Sometimes we drive ourselves crazy with everything having to be perfect. I’m a bit OCD (OK a lot), and I am very guilty of this. We just sometimes need to stop and smell the roses, everything will work out fine. Great post!

  4. We can only do what we can do. God is not frowning on us if we are not keeping up with our house or giving our kids a bath everyday. He is the only one that matters, right?

  5. I hear you. Sometimes we just have to stop thinking about what others might be thinking of us and carry on. It’s not always easy, but is always worth it.

  6. Ugh, I feel like I never get help at all, and when I feel I’m on top of everything the kids just tornado through it all. We can only do what we can and the rest well, can wait.

  7. Such a great reminder! We as parents put so much pressure on being perfect all the time and sometimes we need to just let things be!

  8. Exactly right…and anyone who says otherwise, or judges you for your house not being spotless when you have happy children, should immediately be removed from your life! How you keep your house is your business, and if you are comfortable…then it is fine.

  9. It can be so easy to get caught up in how things “should be” and get frustrated with how things actually are. If you spend all your time trying to change how you look, how your house looks, et cetera, then you’ll never be happy.

  10. We sometimes put such unrealistic expectations on ourselves–to be perfect in every way, including having perfect homes.

  11. This is really nice to think about. It seems like no matter what you do, there’s always something more to be done. Sometimes we just have to chill out!

  12. I so agree. I know that I have felt like that so many times in the past whether it was professionally or personally. There does come a point in time when you have to say you have done and given enough and you just need to be left to recover and re-energize.

  13. I’ve felt the same as many of us have, obviously – I gave up networking offline for me so that I could re-focus on what made me feel comfortable in my world – But, my son is grown and that’s a lot easier on my own homework – bit hugs 🙂

  14. When i have a day that i feel like this i try to think of all the positives in my life. The house might be a mess but the kids are safe and happy.

  15. As long as you have the confidence you need about how you run your home, what others say really shouldn’t matter. I know it’s easier said than done. I personally think order in your home is good for your general well being, but it’s a personal thing depending on the individual

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