Some Of Us Are "Street Light Moms", And That’s Okay

My husband and I were chatting at the table, and our children were going crazy (what’s new). He told me that “they need to do something because they’re so bored”.

My thought: “Umm, okay. They can go do plenty of things. They are surrounded in toys, books, electronics, and water activities outside. Pick one kids.”

Some of you may have seen a short little video going around Facebook from a blog named “That’s Inappropriate“. If you don’t follow her, you should. She’s like my motherhood spirit animal. Her video basically talked about how she is not an “entertainer of children” and how it isn’t constantly her job to make sure her children are preoccupied.

Preach it, mama!

She made a reference to how her mother used to tell her to come back in from playing when the lights were on. Her mom wasn’t constantly filling her life with activities and crafts and such.

That was MY childhood. “Come back in as soon as the street lights were on!”, was something that we heard daily.

Why is this not the expectation anymore?

Street Light Moms

Street Light Mom is just what you would think; a mother who tells her children to come in when the streetlights come on and does not plan every second of her children’s lives.

First, don’t get me wrong. I love and adore all of my mom friends who have things planned for their children to do. I look up to moms who constantly have crafting and play time and a list full of things that they have ready for their kids so they don’t ever get bored.

I am not that mom. I won’t ever be that mom.

I tried. Really I did. With my first, I was like “I will be a Pinterest Mom!”. To be honest, that really is what society wants from us these days.

But, like I said, that isn’t me.

I do make it a point to spend time with my children. We have “mommy and me” dates, we play together, and occasionally I have fun surprises and activities for them if they do get bored.

However…. for the most part:

I am the type of mom that tells her children to go find something to do.

I am the type of mom that points her children in the direction of the book shelf and tells them to go read.

I am the type of mom who will not watch over my children constantly while they are playing outside, even though they seem to think they constantly need my attention.

I will tell my children to go play outside.

I will tell them to go figure out something to do for themselves.

I will not sit and listen to incessant whining and fighting, and then think that this is my fault because they are bored.

My kids are healthy, they are learning, they are smart. I love to be around them and to teach them things, and I even like to go out of my way to try out new activities occasionally.

But, I don’t think it is my job to give them every last second of my attention or for me to make sure that they are never bored, especially when they are SURROUNDED in things that they could be doing. 24 hours is a lot of time to fill in a day. Not everything they do in those hours needs to be planned out by me.

I am a street light mom. 

*Cheers to all types of mammas and no judgement on how we raise our children*