Being a parent is tough enough (hello, toddler tantrums) without all the added guilt and mommy shaming. I firmly believe guilt is self-imposed and a waste of energy. And while there are some things for which I give into the guilt, I try hard to objectively assess the guilt and then let it go.
So, without further ado, here are a few things I flat out refuse to feel guilty about:
Letting her watch some TV. I know, call the screen police. But every time my daughter, Vera, sees Mickey or Minnie while we’re out somewhere, it melts my heart. A little bit of TV won’t kill her and we read and play plenty. So calm down.
Not always letting her spoon feed herself. Hear me out…it takes foreverrrrr and it’s so messy. Anyway, she’s getting less interested in being fed – girl likes her independence – so it’s becoming kind of a moot point. I do take advantage of every opportunity to feed her directly though.
Daycare. We love our daycare. Full stop.
Making time to work out. I work in an extra 45-60 minutes of child care 3-4 times a week to make time to exercise. It makes me a better mom and wife and employee and person because it’s my go-to stress buster. So, it’s worth it.
Letting her nap on me. It’s so few and far between nowadays and I am now in the mode of soaking up all the snuggles I can get. Since it doesn’t seem to disrupt her schedule, I’m going to take advantage of the opportunities.
What are some things you’ve let go of the guilt on?
-Stephanie
Michelle Dickstein
Love these! I have let go of a lot of guilt before it became insidious because it’s just not worth my time and energy.
Stephanie Prause
Thanks! Agreed…guilt is such a choice, isn’t it?!