I always know something that’s been posted on Facebook is interesting when even my husband comments on it. (My husband is a fair weather Facebook fan.) Like the Huff Post article that blanketed Facebook last week– Don’t Carp Diem written by Glennon Melton. According to stats on the Huff Post, it was shared on Facebook by 109,500 people and liked by 113,199. And when I checked Melton’s personal blog, Momastery these were the stats: her Don’t Carp Diem post was shared on Facebook by 258,000 people and liked by 53,000. Not to mention she had over 2,000 comments.
The gist of Melton’s post was that even though the message is right and good, she’s finally allowed herself to admit that working hard to enjoy every single moment with her kids simply doesn’t work for her. She wrote that everywhere she goes an older woman will spy her with her three young kids, place her hand over her heart and tell her to enjoy every moment because the time goes by so fast. Melton wrote that the CARPE DIEM message only succeeds in making her paranoid and panicky that if she’s not in a constant state of intense gratitude and ecstasy, she’s doing something wrong.
Well I (and apparently over 113,000 other people) couldn’t agree more. It was nice to hear someone say it out loud.
This article got me thinking about how much I appreciate moms like Melton who aren’t afraid to speak their minds and be honest about motherhood. When I was pregnant, I craved the truth. As a new mom, I crave the truth. So this post really hit home for me. Especially because I’ve been stopped many times by older women while I’m shopping with my baby and they’ve warned me how fast the time goes by. They’ve advised me to appreciate every single moment. And I’ve walked away from those encounters feeling as if I shouldn’t be shopping with my baby at all, but rather sitting with her in a park staring at her for hours on end, simply appreciating her. And, really, who has that kind of time?
So it’s nice to know that I’m not alone when being told time with my baby is fleeting only makes me feel panicky. I’d rather continue shopping and enjoy my time with my daughter my own way.
How do you feel about Glennon Melton’s Don’t Carp Diem article?
