We are living in a Pinterest World. I admit it. I get caught up in creating a million boards that I will never go back and look at. There I am, spending too much time pinning dresses I will never wear, hair styles I would never be brave enough to try, rooms in houses I would never be able to afford, & places I will never be able to talk my husband into visiting. Give me just about 5 minutes on Pinterest and I feel like an ugly, under performing, terribly dressed mom who should be grateful for every blissful moment.
So today, I found it pretty interesting when one of my favorite moms at Jase's school made the comment, "Pinterest is the devil." Ahhhhhh.......Camden. My thoughts exactly! While I love having a world of ideas, recipes, crafts, and birthday party themes at my finger tips, the downside seems pretty, well a downer. Is Pinterest really the devil?
Think about it. Camden mentioned that it only bred frustration in her when she saw all the crazy amazing house designs and couldn't afford to replicate them in the home they were building. I'm right there with you girl. Facebook can have the same affect when we see our friends with these amazing spaces. I wouldn't call our space amazing. It's more like lived in chic.
But it's bigger than that. I have had clients warn me that their children are not "Pinterest kids." Well of course they aren't! Many of the kids you see on Pinterest are the children of photographers. Either they have had a camera in their face since their first breath, or their parents have learned the fantastical magic we in the photography world call face swap. Trying to get your kid to look as serene and composed as the kids in those examples found on Pinterest will cause you to have a panic attack at your session! Plus, it places unrealistic expectations on your normal kid. Yes. Your kid is normal. Embrace the normal.
It grows even worse with bad advice flowing like the Nile River. "Ten Ways to be a Better Wife" or "Have a New Child by Friday" may sound enticing, but once you read it, you realize you could have just been a better wife by talking to your husband for the 15 minutes it took you to read an article that told you that being a better wife means letting your husband drive all the time so he is in control. Just flip through some pins. Apparently, every single person in the world knows how to lose weight, be a effective mom, plan vacations, and cook better than I can. According to Pinterest, I am an idiot.
But we don't have to live a Pinterest perfect life. In fact, we can't. It's impossible. We are sinners saved by the grace of an Almighty God. I am not always the best mom. I can't be. My patience will run too thin one day and I am probably going to yell. Maybe even call someone a ding dong. Forget me being the perfect wife. I have read 100 times about how to love my husband who needs words of affirmation, but I will still use my words to lash out at him from time to time. And my house......just forget it.
Of course we can't throw the baby out with the bath water. Pinterest offers a lot of great suggestions. But that's the point--they are suggestions. Not every pin is for everybody. And if you feel like it makes you frustrated or discontented, don't be afraid to delete it. I have found that once I stopped looking at things that offered me advice or things I couldn't possibly ever have, it also weeded it out of my suggested feeds. That means I only saw pins related to those that I showed the most interest in. Once I figured that out, my Pinterest World became a bit smaller, but much more pleasant.
To be honest, I am okay with my imperfection. It means I am human. I'm also okay with not having a perfect house. It means I have three healthy, messy kids who love living here. I'm even okay with my crazy hair. It might not be easy to handle all the time and get in the way.......okay. Who am I kidding? I desperately need a hair cut. If you happen across some great cuts, send them my way.
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