Joanna Gaines on Mom Guilt
Even Joanna Gaines Feels Mom Guilt Sometimes, and We're Breathing a Sigh of Relief
Despite the fact that Joanna Gaines looks like the perfect mom on social media, she confessed that even she's been susceptible to mom guilt lately. In a recent post to Instagram, the mom of five shared that because of all the sleepless nights she's been having, she was too tired to plan a special activity for her 8-year-old daughter, Emmie Kay, one morning. She opted to follow in her daughter's footsteps instead, and it was beyond rewarding.
"I took Emmie Kay out to the garden this morning and I let her lead and I just followed along in her imaginations and her curiosities (In all honesty I was too tired to come up with anything because mama and Crew haven't been sleeping great these days)," wrote Joanna. "She told me she wanted to pick flowers and put them in old books that only her and I would know about and then look for them later when we got older."
"I really believe it's somewhere in the middle where the grace is extended and these simple, unplanned moments are actually the sweetest."
Joanna was on board:
"We gathered some large old books in the shed and picked out our favourite flowers from the garden and then wrote our names and date in the books," said Joanna. "We also pressed some petals that we could frame later to remind us of this special morning in the garden."
Believe it or not, Joanna opened the old books and discovered that someone else had the same thought years ago. There was a collection of leaves pressed between the pages. "It was like we stumbled on a treasure that reinforced how we would feel when we find these flowers again one day," said Joanna.
For the home decor maven, spending time with her children doesn't always have to be a big production. Parents can connect with their kids over everyday activities.
"I know at times it can be hard to find simple ways to connect with your kids," she said. "Especially in the tired and the hard and busy times in life. It can feel like it's all or nothing. But I really believe it's somewhere in the middle where the grace is extended and these simple, unplanned moments are actually the sweetest."
Joanna hopes that other parents can take a page from her book: "I write all this for any of you out there who may experience 'mom-guilt.' I promise you that's a never ending cycle that leads to nowhere," she said. "Replace the word 'guilt' with 'grace'. Look for grace in the moments, the small wins that lead to the greatest investments in their little hearts."
The bottom line? Moms shouldn't put so much pressure on themselves.
"From one mom to another, stop being so hard on yourself," said Joanna. "Don't spend another second focusing on failure, instead use whatever time and whatever energy you have and look for the moments where grace can be found. Because I'm telling you, this grace is sufficient."
