All That Glitters Is Not Gold

It’s true. What glitters around our house is glitter. You know, the little sparkly stuff that you can’t vacuum up. We’ve got it everywhere. But I guess that’s what happens when you let your 3-year-old play with it. And the 5-year-old, too.

I tend to be a neat freak, so when I see glitter all over the place, it makes me a little nervous. I like my house to give off the illusion of being under control. Glitter on the table, on the floor, coating chairs, in my hair, and on my kid’s faces, does not demonstrate control. It demonstrates chaos, it demonstrates anarchy. But glitter is pretty, you say. I should embrace the sparkle within, I should welcome its presence in my home.

I don’t.

As some of you might have guessed, I am a control freak. I’ve tried to evict the little turd, but it is a stubborn old goat, clinging to every available, clingable surface inside my brain. When you think about your brain, you will probably realize that there’s a lot of that sticky stuff to stick to. I’m trying, though, to be more relaxed. I don’t want to get upset about spills and messes and things going awry. If you live your life that way, you’re going to always be peeved. Especially if you have little kids. They are masters of chaos.

We do have rules, but they aren’t inflexible. My kids know that if they spill their milk accidentally, I won’t get mad. If they spill their milk because they keep leaning across the table and trying to steal their brother’s food while laughing hysterically, then I will get mad. Luckily, sometimes it’s hard to get too mad at them. My children are learning to master the art of comebacks. For example, the other day I told my oldest son to put some clothes on (he was running around in the buff) and he says, "But mom! This is my culture!" I don’t know where my children get their sarcasm from…it’s a complete mystery to me. But it’s good to be reminded of the humor in life.

I’m learning to let go of some of my neurotic baggage. I’m not old, but I wear purple. I’m learning to stand up for myself when other people are rude to me or mine. I’m starting to just leave the glitter on my face. I might get some weird looks, but it’s worth it, and it makes for good conversation, better than just discussing the weather or your latest case of hemorrhoids.

So take that bottle of glitter and sprinkle some on your head…It might do you a world of good!