Pinterest and I have an unhealthy relationship. Time to plan a party? Pinterest! Thinking about getting a tattoo? Pinterest! Need ideas for teacher gifts? Pinterest! Need style ideas? Pinterest! What’s for dinner? Check Pinterest! Almost anything you can think of needing can be answered by creating a board and pinning your stress away.
I turn to Pinterest for ideas and instead I get ideals. The thing is, I don’t have time for ideals. I work full time and have a very active six-year-old. She has extracurricular activities and playdates and homework. My husband works in the healthcare industry which can mean long or odd hours. We have endless laundry and endless dishes. All this to say, time isn’t a luxury I can afford. I’m not sure I’ve met the mother who does have the time for this.
Pinterest tells me that when preparing gifts for teachers they should be cute and have some kind of play on words. It tells me that every detail of a party can be coordinated to any number of themes. It is why I know exactly what clothing I love…on other people. It is the reason I’ve carefully selected a tattoo that I’ll probably never find the time to actually go get.
The real issue is that my Pinterest projects somehow define how I feel about my parenting. When I don’t send the perfect card I think that the recipient somehow will think I don’t care. If the birthday party isn’t perfectly themed, will people even enjoy it? Those are self-inflicted ideals. Pinterest just gives us the impression that those ideals are required and that perfection is achievable.
The trick (that I haven’t learned yet) is to balance usage. Take the ideas but don’t let it define who you are. When you have the time dive fully in, pin and create something amazing. When you don’t have the time, don’t let the idea of perfection rule your thinking. The store bought card won’t be held against you, I promise.
