My Perfect Family

This past year there has been a ton of studies done on whether Facebook (and other social media outlets) make people more depressed due to comparing themselves to others. There have been conflicting findings and I thought I should go ahead and clarify what my perfect family really is…no need to base us off just a few hundred posts and pictures my friends see each year.

For every picture you see of my son smiling…just know that at some point that week (or day) he was crying. He has an amazing laugh, but he also can stomp his feet like a champion when he wants something.

For every post where I praise my husband…just know we are human and we strive to love unconditionally, but only God can truly provide that love. We work at our marriage. We do nightly devotionals and attend church weekly…we try to protect what we have by growing with God…it doesn’t just “happen.”

For every post where I show a project from Pinterest I’ve completed, a pie I’ve baked, a scarf I've made, etc. it’s probably because I needed a quiet moment of sanity…not because I have all the time in the world, or am bored. There are days where I can’t sing “The Wheels on the Bus” one more time so I grab paint and a brush and escape Mommy Land for a moment.

For every post where you see amazing places we travel or go…we’ve saved to get there. The smile at the mountain top is because we are overflowing with joy because we made our priorities for the year to save to be in that exact location at that very moment. We aren’t wealthy and probably never will be…but we have more than enough “stuff” and we live comfortably…but don’t think for a second “it just happened for us.”

For every post where you see me hugging and spending time with my child multiple times throughout the day…we sacrifice. By staying at home we live on one income…it’s a sacrifice. It forces us to be incredibly creative with finances, but for us it works.

So before anyone looks at my life and thinks even for a second it’s perfect…it’s perfect for me…it’s precisely what I want and need, but just make sure when you compare yourself to others you realize that if you videotaped the Bertsch family for a full day you would see the following:

·       Me waking up with an 80s pony-tail (every morning)

·       A good morning song to my son (that is totally off key)

·       An inspection of treasures (AKA poop patrol) prior to PJ change…and yes…I talk like Steve Irwin while this is being performed

·       Mealtime

·       Playtime that contains coloring, singing, laughing, playing, and learning (and me totally looking hilarious to spectators)

·       Naptime (AKA my sanity break)

·       Mealtime

·       More playtime (or errands which are at times a war zone all of their own)

·       Naptime (Alas…another sanity break)

·       Mealtime

·       Family walk and/or playtime

·       Bedtime (AKA LONG sanity break)

To most people it would totally appear boring/routine…yet to me…my life is perfect…at least for me. So I guess I’m writing this as a reminder to myself to put down on paper what the desires of my heart are. I want to live a life that is full of love and laughter. I want to raise a child that is an amazing man and contributes to society in a way that leaves a lasting legacy. For me that means taking little to no time to compare myself to others. It means I must remove my expectations off myself that I give myself because of how I visually see other families…because truly…you can’t compare yourself to anyone until you walk a full walk with someone…and for me…I prefer walking the path God has given me.

Be the perfect you…and that’s all that matters! J