005. The Lie of Convenience

Episode 005. The Lie of Convenience SHOW NOTES www.elevatingmotherhood.com/episode5 Moms have a lot of things to work through…a lot of issues that come up…a lot of problems to solve in every season of motherhood. And there is no one size fits all answer for any of these issues or problems. But there is a problem with one of the common solutions and perspectives that are offered up by others…and that problem is “convenience.” In fact, the notion of “convenience” is so common that moms have started to look through that lens of convenience FIRST when looking for help or offering advice. We’re suddenly spending our time searching for the most “convenient” answer over what’s most effective for us and our family. Our society has sold us on the notion that our lives need to be convenient. Convenience is a shiny object, the thing we lust over in our busy, overwhelming days as moms. “Buy this product, do this thing and your life will be more convenient. We promise you convenience.” But I’m finding this lens to be harmful. An issue comes up in parenting…let’s say our kid won’t sleep through the night—and suddenly people are offering out “convenient” things to buy or do as solutions. Quick fixes like “Here…buy this blanket, buy this sleep course, buy this sound machine, buy melatonin, buy these “things” that will do the work for you.” And while there are tools that can help us with sleep—and yes, some of them might be convenient—this mindset of convenience is having a huge negative effect on our mothering culture. Because when those convenient things aren’t working, we’re left floundering and feeling like a failure. We’re not encouraged or motivated to dig deeper or look at the bigger picture. These messages have trained our brains to think about our quality of life in terms of whether it’s convenient or inconvenient. I mean, it sounds appealing, right? Who wouldn’t want a short cut now and then? But “now and then” has turned into more and more often. We aren’t looking for short cuts or convenience every once in a while, we’re expecting it every moment of the day... For the full script and more information about this episode, head over to www.elevatingmotherhood.com/episode5 Today’s episode is sponsored by Homeschool Explained -- more info at www.elevatingmotherhood.com/homeschool  Love the Show? SUBSCRIBE! And leave a review on iTunes!  Connect with LB on Instagram Connect with LB on Facebook