I Took My Kids to the Movies!

Yesterday, I took my kids to the movies.

For most people, of course, this may seem like no big deal. For me, it was HUGE!

Here's why...

THE STORY

I have been a mom for almost 7 years now.

By some measures, I am a good one: I stay home with them, care for them, love them, and I don't beat them or talk badly to them.

But by other measures, I am not so good: I have never done the playdate/playgroup thing (that is, I never made the effort to get them around other kids), I don't really do crafty things with them (like fingerpainting or other projects), I rarely take them to the park, and I have NEVER taken them to the movies!

I'm sure you're wondering what I do with them! Well, it's not that they watch TV all day. For the first several years of their lives, in fact, I never let them watch TV at all! Then I started to feel guilty that they were so "backwards" compared to other kids, and I began to let them watch a couple hours a day. Other than that, we read, they help me clean the house, they help me cook, they go grocery shopping with me, they play on the swing set or in the sand box in the backyard, or they play with toys in the house.

So why am I such a weird mom?

Well, I used to explain it by saying that I didn't "need" it. For many moms, getting together for play groups or taking their kids to the park is as much for them as it is for the kids. Moms will say they "need a break" or "need adult conversation," and I kind of prided myself that I wasn't like that. I had plenty of outside interests that kept me intellectually challenged and gave me sufficient "time away" from my kids.

What the Beyond Freedom community has taught me, however, is that those very outside interests were keeping me from enjoying my life and enjoying my children!

THE LESSON

You see, I never had enough time.

I was always too busy.

I never thought I had "permission" to stop what I was doing and do these "frivolous" things with my kids (frivolous to me, obviously--not to them).

I always had so much to do that I kept saying, "When this done, then..." or "When I have this under control, then..."

And though I felt a twinge of guilt that I wasn't doing more with my kids, I justified it by saying, "Well, if we lived 100 years ago, they would be helping with the cooking and cleaning--heck, they might even have a JOB by now!" or "If we lived in the country, we wouldn't have movie theatres or playgrounds or amusement parks nearby..."

It wasn't until my association with the Beyond Freedom community that I began to see the light.

It is because of the Beyond Freedom program--and the people in the community who continue to keep me motivated and set the example--that I am learning to stop and smell the roses.

I am learning to celebrate life.

I am learning to drink in every moment with my kids--who will very soon be grown and living lives of their own.

And I am learning the importance of taking time out to go to the movies!

Who can put a price on that?

Let me end with a powerful quote from the movie we saw yesterday.

The movie was Ratatouille. It's a computer animated film from Disney/Pixar about a rat (Remy), who was born with an appreciation for gourmet food and a desire to be a great chef. He didn't know how, he didn't know when...all he knew was that he was born for something greater than just being one of the pack.

His dad (Django) tries to convince him that he should be satisfied with who he is.

Django says, "This is the way things are; you can't change nature."

To which Remy replies, "Change is nature, Dad. The part that we can influence. And it starts when we decide."

As Remy turns to leave, Django says, "Where are you going?"

And it is Remy's answer that really hit home to me. It is Remy's answer that is what life is becoming for me. It is Remy's answer that simply and powerfully sums up for all of us the answer to question, "Where are we going?"

"With luck, forward."

TAKE ACTION

• If you like what you read in this blog and would like to find out more about the Beyond Freedom program, please contact the person that sent you here. If you found this blog by accident (knowing, of course, that there are no accidents), you may contact me at beyondfreedom@theremmersfamily.com
• Are you stopping to smell the roses? Or are you missing out on all of the wondrous taste, smells, and adventures around you because you're just too busy? For the rest of the day, slow down. Take in a sunset, take a walk in nature, hug your kids really really tight, see the city lights at night. Start right now.