With a great amount of social media, comes a great amount of responsibility.
Kinda seems to be the theme of the week, the month, the year; doesn't it? We read, hear, and talk a lot about the pressures that social media place on us as social beings, and specifically as parents. You know what I'm talking about: pressure to capture the very best moment, pressure to create the very best holiday "experiences". Pressure to keep up with the Jones's, pressure to make the best pre-school nut free/dairy free/soy free/wheat free/gmo free snack EVER. Just, pressure.
But have we talked about the pressure we're putting on ourselves to actually out-love each other?
Because I for one am exhausted by it, this new kind of pressure. To be the best birthday commenter; to leave the best congratulatory/condolences/encouragement commenter. To be the first to respond to the milestones, and anniversaries, and engagements/weddings/births, and first days of school and last days of schools and on and on on. And then, to jump on the meal train, and the go fund me, and the fundraiser/charity drive/pto event all while remembering to add the heart eyed little emoji face.
And that's not say I don't love you, or that I don't want absolutely hug the crap out of you for all of those things, and do all of those things, for all 700 people on my friend's list. I would do that. In a heartbeat. If it weren't even humanly possible.
No, all that is to say that I've placed yet another unnecessary burden on myself, and that's to once again, in another format, try to be all things to all people. I can't do it. You can't do it. We can't do it.
So remember, the next time you're about to put the imaginary pressure on yourself to out-love someone... don't bother. Love yourself first and those nearest to you next. We're all in this together, and we all know: you can't pour from an empty cup. Make sure you're rationing.
xo
Andrea
