Parenting Isn’t For Wimps

We’ve heard people say “parenting isn’t for wimps”.

So, if you happen to be a parent, it’d make sense to believe that you are anything but wimpy.

Right?

Then why do we feel like wimps occasionally? As a parent of two little girls, I question the validity of this thought —or maybe more, the fitness of my parenting.

I looked up the word “wimp” and found that it has about 105 synonyms. Not cool—especially when I can identify with 104 of them.

I also noticed that the word “wimp” only has about 15 antonyms. In my mind, that’s just wrong, and somebody just has to fix that.

Has our culture leaned that far into negativity?

Maybe.

But our parenting shouldn’t.

Your Position As A Parent

I want to reach out to you and remind you that you are the most precious person in your kids’ lives. You are in a position to love them and lead them like no one else can.

And even though you may feel like the wimp who is winning at losing (softy, pushover, fragile, killjoy, powerless, inadequate, waverer), you are actually in the lead when it comes to being able to pass on the good stuff to your kids, mainly because you are—well, not a wimp.

Not A Wimp

As you fight for the hearts of your children and lead them to other adults who will do the same, you defy wimp nature. When you are creative and personal and loving and fun, you kill the negativity that wants you to feel powerless.

The way you parent over time becomes the legacy you leave in the future. And I don’t know a single wimp who can handle that sort of calling.

You Are More Than You Think You Are

You are the antithesis of a wimp, because at the end of the day (even at the end of your worst day), you are friendly, fun, and a behemoth in influence.

Your love over time will be the mega-hit of your messy and beautiful home. Be who you are. Don’t back down in your response to the most important people in your life.  It’s okay to be gregarious and present and open to change. You are an ambassador of creativity,  compassion, grace and forgiveness. . .

In my opinion, these things (and many more) makes you the most non-wimpy person in the universe.

Take The Day Back

One of my goals this year was to make room for self-care, so I’d be healthy and able to be the non-wimp that I know I am. Procrastination is my enemy and being non-productive makes me feel less awesome than I want to be.

So, I’ve been trying something new called the Storyline Productivity Schedule. It’s free and super simple.

I write one page to take back my day.

My favorite part is listing what I would do if I could live today over again (before the day even starts). Incredible.

Most of us can predict when we will surrender in the wimp war and yield all sanity and sense to it’s lies. So this is a pretty sweet thing to do first thing.

Here’s one of my lists:

I would. . .

• take a true non-working lunch to recharge and recover (self-care)
• before going home, take ten minutes to write a list of the days’ worries and leave them with the One I know who cares for me.
• run-jump-hug my husband when I see him.
• enter my kids worlds and imaginations, read books, and not worry so much about food on the floor after dinner (or about the fact that we don’t have a dog to eat the food on the floor, and how I wish we had a dog that we didn’t have to take care of but would take care of us)

The Dare

Think of a non-wimpy word for yourself and fly it like a banner over your life today (superheroes: comment with your word, because I want to add it to my death-to-wimpy-words-list).

Then ask yourself how you’re going to take back your day, one non-wimpy move at a time.