Recently I heard a quote that struck me. “ You can’t wait until life isn’t hard anymore before you decide to be happy”. This quote had my mind wrapped around its existence. You can take this quote and analyze it with every aspect of your life, but let’s just focus on the parental version of the quote.
Let’s use me as an example, I am a young single parent. I had my son one month before turning 19. Being so young my thought process was “life isn’t about myself it’s about my child”. Man was I wrong, listen closely… you can not fill another little human’s cup if you barely have a full cup. How can you create a stable happy life for someone else if you are not happy yourself?
Let’s quit the pity party together. Being a parent will NEVER be “EASY”.
Those moms who struggle financially, live paycheck to paycheck. We see you. Make every cent count for your babies. Putting every ounce of yourself into your day-to-day only to wallow in your pillow at night thinking to yourself “One day it will be easy, one day life won’t be hard”.
Mama, you can not wait for life to not be hard anymore to be happy. If money is what worries your everyday life, what stops your flow of dopamine, well hear me out. Although money helps make things easier it does not make you happy. Start today, Let go of your current state of mind and just live life, be happy. Choose to be happy. With or without money. Grab those kiddos and bake a cake for no reason at all. Bring out the sprinkler, hold those tiny hands and run through it with them. Build a fort out of blankets and tell silly stories, start a new chapter book with them. These are all inexpensive ways to create happy memorable memories. Sleep under the stars as you learn about astrology with your tiny humans. Choose to live a life full of laughter, and happiness, regardless of the situation or lifestyle you have been dealt.
The moral of the story is don’t wait until your children are older for you to choose to live life to the fullest, for you to be happy and enjoy the moments you have. I know this is all easier said than done. It takes time to shift your way of thinking. I am well aware. I am on the journey of retraining my way of thinking. So far I have made amazing memories with my children this year. I remind myself daily that if I want a happy life for my children I have to participate in that happy atmosphere with them. I said it once and I will say it again: quit the pity party! Start your version of living life and choosing happiness.
Below I will list resources for when you need a little extra help pushing through.
https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline
https://www.apa.org/pi/families/resources/newsletter/2014/05/families-parental-depression