Parenting FOMO

I have three kids which doesn't sound like a lot to some people. My kids are 11, 9, and 7. We wanted them close in age but a wine flight at the Olive Garden made them closer than we expected. I believe in absolute honesty. I would not change my family for the world and believe I have been blessed with the exact amount of children that I was support to have. However...

It is a lot for me a lot of the time. For me the stress lies with who can pick them up when I work? Who can take the oldest to soccer, the middle and the youngest to track, and the youngest to baseball. Don't forget piano. Thank God for Nanas! Every day I wake up and coordinate my small army for their selected missions. I remind myself, "All of this taxiing is for a purpose." I want the children to be well rounded and have experiences, as I sit in the car and wait for them.

When they were small I got all the very concerned looks in the grocery store from other women. At one point my oldest was 4 and I had toddler and baby in the cart reaching for all the good stuff. I drove the octopus cart...so many arms. It was a steep learning curve. Oh and did I mention during that time my middle child was being diagnosed with Autism (which has a whole other set of rules I will have you know). We went from specialist to specialist. It was a difficult time for me and probably for the kids too, if I am honest.

Since then, we have learned to coordinate each child's needs. Be very clear their needs not their wants. Our kids have trouble with deciphering that too but its an important distinction. We say no all the time. Boundaries are healthy for them and for us. We have to learn to say "no" to things we can not do. Now, this is as much a reminder for me as it is for you. We can not be healthy if we do not say no. And this is the biggest teaching moment for my kids. We miss birthday parties. We miss events with friends. We miss games sometimes.

What about FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)? Oh we have that too. And that's ok. Its natural to have those feelings when you are missing something. However, set your priorities and stick to it. There will be other opportunities.