Monday Confessions

Monday's are hard, y'all. Not only do Mondays bring the sometimes daunting list of things that need to be done in the upcoming week, but that also drag along the weekend guilt of the things that didn't get checked off that always growing to-do list.

I get it. I am right there with you. That is why I've decided to make my Mondays a little less guilt ridden and I invite you to do the same.

Every Monday I will post a confession about my life, my kids, myself - something that I am feeling a little guilt for doing (or for neglecting) and get it off my shoulders. That way I have one less weight to carry into my week. I am my worst critic, and I'm sure you are too. Self-forgiveness is a gift we can only give to ourselves and it can do us a world of good!

To kick this off, here is my first confession;

I am a technology-embracing Mom. 

I know there are a lot of people who have strong feelings about young children and screen time and opinions vary widely. Some feel there is no reason for it, others don’t see the harm. I fall somewhere in between.

When I was 10 years old, my dad brought home two giant boxes with big black dots on them and set them in our living room. I wasn’t excited because I was 10 and was clueless about the machine that would from then on be a part of my life. That computer was a Gateway, in more ways than just its brand.

Photo by Justus Menke on Unsplash

I learned to navigate what was then the (incredibly limited World Wide Web on that beast, spent hours playing MegaRace (mainly because it crashed regularly), and spent countless hours experimenting in the Microsoft Paint Program. It is because of that clunky, oversized machine that I have my technological knowledge today. It’s why I’m comfortable with and embrace the phone, tablet, laptop, etc. advances we continue to see. 

And it is why I don’t have a problem with my boys learning from an early age how to navigate the technology that will continue to dominate our lives. 

That doesn’t mean they get free, unsupervised range. The shows they watch and the games they play are closely monitored, as well as just how much time they spend lounging around with their tablets. Nor are they simply handed their devices without earning them.

There are specific things they need to accomplish (school, homework, chores, etc.) before screen time is even an option. And to keep them from asking every five minutes, we have implemented a checklist I downloaded (for free!) from Where’d My Sanity Go. It’s a great visual representation that they can check themselves before coming to me. It not only saves my ears from the repeated question, but also makes them responsible for their own responsibilities.

So, there is it, my first Monday Confession (deep breath in. And exhale). I feel a little lighter and a bit more ready to focus on the other tasks that have already filled my to-do list, including those pesky projects that didn’t quite get accomplished over the weekend. 

I hope you will join me in finding a way to lessen your load and start the week with a little less guilt, Let’s not forget we are all humans trying to do the best we can.