Thoughts

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of MetLife as part of the #DreamForMyChild conversation.

So have you guys seen this video on YouTube yet? It makes you feel all kinds of sad and happy at the same time, doesn't it? (Just like A Fault in Our Stars.  Watch that movie the very second you are done reading this blog post, even if you thought the previews made it look predictable. Totally worth your time. One of the best movie's I've seen in a while).

And the little girl in the below video is just the sweetest, which never hurts.



When you watch this, doesn't it make you think about how your kids see you? Don't they surprise you all the time with how perceptive they are? Today was not an easy day. I had a "to-do" list that was longer than Pinocchio's nose and had to be three places at once. After preschool, when Carter noticed I was busy and not devoting 100% of my attention on him, he started saying things like "this is a stinky day." He loves to pull that phrase out. It cuts me deep! He knows exactly what to say to bring on the guilt.

But then he realized I really was having a "stinky day" and he became SO SWEET. He said "Mommy, I know how to make this hard day better. Come here. Get closer." So I walked over to him and he said "you need a kiss and a hug." Then he proudly announced, "See? I made the hard day better!!" And that he did. In that moment I felt like 1,000 pounds was lifted from my shoulders. No matter how frustrating my day had been, it all ended with a little help from a 3 year old. (It also helped when my mom sent me a text to let me know she had my laptop that I had lost in my absent-mindedness.)

So back to what I was saying about the video. This father has dreams for his child. To go to a good school, to have an actual childhood without worrying about things like food, money, and necessities.

You know how everyone is always hypothesizing about what job their children will do when they're older based on their personality (myself included)? It can be fun to think about. But at the end of the day I honestly have to say I don't have much of an opinion on what Carter decides to do in the future. What I want is for him is to have the opportunity to work hard at something he's passionate about. And I want it to give him contentment. Contentment in a peaceful, real happiness way. I kind of hope he becomes a minimalist mountain man with a tiny house and a lake for a backyard. That screams contentment to me. Not trying to rush after the newest car, a bigger house,  nicer things, on an endless hamster wheel.

Every time I read this quote I just have to laugh at the ridiculousness that life is sometimes.

Now, doesn't it all seem so pointless? (The answer to that is yes, yes it does).

The one thing in this quote that I totally have under control now is the clothes thing. And that was reinforced today when I had to have a meeting outside of the house, in the real world. This morning, as I was looking through drawers and shelves and hangers, I realized what working from home has given me. A lot of yoga pants, zip-up sweatshirts and v-neck t-shirts. [insert cry-laughing emoji here]

But for real. Sometimes you just have to stop and enjoy what you have and make life an experience and not a series of goals to get you to the next best thing.

So if I had to choose just one dream for Carter, I think it would be that he read this quote a few times (once he can read) and really take time to think about what's going to make him truly happy.