Pulling Back the Curtain

As parents, we are often reminded that what we see on social media are just curated snapshots and not real life. I agree wholeheartedly with this but also want to provide you with a PSA that what you see in real life is not always what it seems as well.

Here’s what I mean. I was out early on a Sunday morning with both of my kids and one of our dogs. It was a gorgeous September morning where the air was crisp and cool, and the sun was shining. The kids were biking and I was running with the dog. Towards the end of our adventure, I ran into a neighborhood parent who was out walking her dog. I stopped to say hello and she immediately told me how impressed she was that we were out so early as a family. Now, it is true that this is what we were doing BUT there is more to the story.

First off, this is the first time this has ever happened on a weekend morning. Why? Well, in our house we are pretty strict with screen time during the week but on weekend mornings, we typically don’t have many restrictions. However, if you had been privy to the scene that occurred the night before you would know that there was a major temper tantrum that went on for over an hour due to the fact that we said that bedtime was only going to be 30 minutes later than normal. Yes, you read that correctly. We had granted a later bedtime to allow for some extra family time to watch college football. After many warnings, the consequence was finally handed out…no screens the following day.

By now you probably see where I am going with this. To our neighborhood friend, it looked like the most amazing family morning. In reality, we were making our best out of some “totally unfair and completely ridiculous” (quoting my 8-year-old here) consequences. And just to pull the curtain back a bit more, I do not run. I have only been a runner for a brief moment of insanity back when I was in my 20s and trained for and ran the Chicago Marathon. I ran that day because the kids didn’t want to walk the dog, they wanted to bike. So I sacrificed myself and my knees to get the kids out of the house and get the dog some exercise.

Lastly, you may wonder where my husband was in all this? Well, he was out golfing. Did I wish he was with us? Absolutely! Sometimes no screens can feel like a consequence for me as I don’t get as much of a break in the mornings. I actually cherish those moments when I can walk the dogs by myself and get some alone time. However, golf is one of the few opportunities my very extraverted husband gets to be social these days, and I genuinely want him to do it (although preferably on days when I am not dealing with the aftermath of a massive meltdown…that’s not too much to ask, right?)

So there you have it. This is just a reminder that there is always more than what meets the eye, even outside of social media. I let my neighbor know that in fact what she was seeing was not impressive, and just a result of screens being taken away. Her laugh at my response was all I needed to know that she got it. We are all fighting the same battles and it is a good reminder to let others see behind our curtains.

Do you have a behind the curtain story? I’d love to hear it. Drop a reply below.