Parenting Life: I Can’t Feel Guilty if…(Holiday Edition)

So, what is up with this whole GUILT thing?
 
Where did it come from? Why is it so hard to shake?
 
Why do I feel the need to write a blog about it to absolve my conscience?
 
I don’t have the answers to these questions. I can only assume that guilt is fundamental and unique to the human experience.
 
I mean, think about it.
 
When a squirrel sees that their neighbor squirrel has just been blessed with a whole tree full of baby squirrels, do you think they feel guilty if they can’t swing by with a homemade acorn pie? 

NO. They do not. Because they are squirrels.
 
The moral of the story: we might be just a tad saner if we aimed to live life more like the squirrels, and delete ‘should’ from our vocabulary.
 
Here we go. Here’s my attempt to shake off some of that guilt.
 
Join me, won’t you?
 
As a parent and an ordinary human being, I can’t feel guilty if…

Photo by Christopher.Michel on Visual hunt / CC BY

It’s not homemade
 
I don’t make an appearance at the gym
 
Our laundry seems to spontaneously multiply
 
The best I can do is take-n-bake pizza
 
I spend two hours getting my hair done every eight weeks

Facebook reminded me it was your birthday today. I can’t remember everyone’s birthday without a little help.
 
I take a nap instead of picking through my basement for Goodwill donations
 
I ‘accidentally’ eat six Reese’s peanut butter cups and four Kit Kat bars in rapid succession
 
I order Thanksgiving dinner from the local grocery store
 
We moved in 2.5 years ago and still aren’t 100% unpacked

Photo by emmajanehw on VisualHunt.com / CC BY

I didn’t participate in the school potluck, because it was inconvenient, and I just didn’t feel like it
 
I save too many useless receipts
 
I go a little nuts at TJ Maxx…on the regular
 
I resort to a movie to keep my toddler busy
 
If (when) I don’t have a perfect body

I’m a month behind on pedicures
 
I post photos on Facebook immediately or months later, and nothing in between
 
The meal delivery service meals sit in the refrigerator untouched, alongside takeout leftovers, because it’s been that kind of week
 
I show up an hour late to the party. Okay, I do feel a bit guilty, but my kid was napping.

SPILL IT! What are you no longer going to feel guilty about? Leave a comment!

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