Have you ever wondered if making your bed in the morning is overrated? I am praying that my kids do not read this
blog post before they are all out of the house.
As a returning college student, after twenty years, I can see why making
ones bed in the morning does not seem as important as I have made it out to be
over the last seventeen plus years of each of their lives. I would venture to say, my twenty seven year
old would probably agree as well.
However, the saying still goes, cleanliness is next to Godliness right? That sounded so proper when I would whisper
it to myself as I walked through my daily chore list while sending kids off to
school, not so much anymore.
Here I sit in front of my computer, two weeks into my new college career
and I have a completely new appreciation for my young adults who are either
finishing off their high school career or just starting their adventure in
college. Oh how I forgot what it was
like to be a student. Granted, they are
much younger then I am but there is still the stress of keeping up with the
agenda of the teacher regardless of what is going on in and around your life.
I recently found myself miscalculating my morning and thought I would
have time to get my son to school, my bed made and bags packed for my own class
schedule. It was not the case; I looked
at my bed, shrugged my shoulders and said aloud as if my pillows were my
audience, “making the bed is so overrated.”
I grabbed my purse, books and
water bottle and headed out the door, hoping to be able to at least make it
home before anyone found out I broke my own rule.
I debated for a second on whether
I should tell my children my thoughts around making the bed first thing in the
morning but then I thought I might loose some of my credibility as a mom. I decided to keep that little tidbit to
myself until the last one has flown the nest and then I will share how I feel
about making the bed. Do not get me
wrong, I love when my bed is made first thing in the morning but do I find it a
moral failure to leave it UN done, no and I should have never treated my
children that way when they were younger.
What can I say, I was a mom navigating my way around parenting and
training them in the way they should go.
Bed making 101, oh how I would do things differently.
However, today, if I had a choice between making beds or eating
breakfast together you bet it would be the later. I would leave more space to sit with my kids,
share about what is going on in their world, and I would be less concerned
about dust bunnies, UN made beds and dirty floors.
I know there is a greater lesson for me to learn as I step back into the
classroom. There is a big picture to be
seen as I walk in the shoes of a student.
Only two weeks into the journey and I find myself with more compassion and
empathy for my own kids that are students as well as others on the
journey.
Everyday my brain is stretched as it has never been stretched
before. Everyday I find that I am trying
to keep up with those who are ten and twenty years younger then me without competing
or comparing. Everyday I find that when
I sit down with my red journal wide open to write the lessons I learned for the
day, I could write for hours.
This going back to school is much more about me being given a second and
third chance to do over what I did not think I could do the first time
around. This going back to school is
about me getting the opportunity to connect with the next generation coming up
in a non-threatening way. This going
back to school is about me understanding that I am much stronger then I ever
believed I was and most importantly, this going back to school has allowed me
to see that making my bed is highly overrated.
Thank you for letting me share.
Cris
