Expectations

Yes, we all have to make a living. There are bills to pay, food to buy, and clothing to put on our backs. However, our desire for all the other peripheral things seem to have gotten out of control. We are burdening ourselves with expectations that are not for our needs, but for our wants.

The pressure that we put upon ourselves to try and fulfill every want that we or our children desire, only puts undue stress on everyone. Many of the things we think we need to have will do nothing to improve our lives. Ultimately they can make things more stressful as we push ourselves to work harder to afford these “luxuries”.

When we are faced with the choice of buying the latest and greatest, we need to take time to think it through. Do we, or our children, really need this? Will it truly add to our lives or take away from family time? Will it be of value and used enough to justify the purchase? The answers in most instances is no.

What we should expect is to wake up every morning and live the day without pressure to do more than is necessary. Before diving into the endless list of tasks we need to ask ourselves, does this need to be done? Will it create the fun and carefree environment that is essential for us to flourish, or add another burden to our day?

The world will not fall apart if we take time to enjoy our family. If dinner is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich so be it. Nothing says we have to create a gourmet meal seven days a week. Housework will always be there; we can clean today and tomorrow it could be done again. For those who worry about friends dropping by and seeing a “dirty” house, I can tell you they are not there to see your house, they are there to see you.

I was always one who worried too much about what needed to be done, and I will openly admit that the time could have been better spent doing more enjoyable things with my children. Sometimes when we strive for perfection in our lives, we end up unhappy and feeling like there is no joy; not a good place to be.

We need to stop putting too many expectations on ourselves, or someday we will wake up and wish we could go back and do things differently. However, we all know there is no going back in time. Our children need to see that it is not what they have, but the time they have and how they use it that is important. Don’t burden them with expectations that will not benefit the life they are meant to live.