Trust Your Gut (and other confusing things we mothers tell ourselves)

The boy is on a two-week break from competitive soccer, and I have never been more grateful. I’ve spoken before about my propensity to overschedule and overcommit on vacation, but I find myself doing this in my day-to-day life as well. Mostly, this stems from FOMO, whether for me or for the kiddoes. I dream of peace and downtime, but as soon as I have a moment to breathe, I fill it up auditing my life for gaps, and then making plans to fill them:

• The kids need sports activities

• The kids need academic enrichment activities

• The kids need playdates / dentist appointments / new clothing

• I need to write better / take a course / get on a list

• I need to see my friends / spend time with my parents / read a book / read Quran / get consistent with my skincare routine.

Each one of these items is its own project, but I write them down on a to-do list, as though a single line can capture the effort involved, and the reward that will be derived from each endeavor. Exhibit A: Sports activities.

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