Have you ever dreamt about decorating your child’s nursery or big kid bedroom?
Maybe you’re like me and made a mood board of colors, textures, furniture, artwork and created a theme to last through the toddler years. Or, spent time scrolling Pinterest and pinning your favorite lookbooks. I aimlessly walked through Hobby Lobby — sewed extra-long curtains, threaded a pom-pom mobile, finished black walnut shelving and perfectly sorted his baby clothing by season and size — all in preparation for his debut. After hours of planning and doing, his nursery was simple and put together.
Then we moved!
It took me 120 days to paint his room and another two months after that to hang one piece of artwork. Its been 8 months and we still don’t have window treatments or door handles and his clothes are often folded, but piled in laundry baskets. What happened? It’s unsettling for me.
While rocking him the other day, I starred at his blue, bare walls and thought, “when will I finish making this boy’s room into a bedroom? It was so put together at our old house.”
Out of curiosity, I Googled “toddler boy bedroom ideas” and it returned 58,500,500 results.
Seriously?!
58,500,500 posts, articles and ideas on how to transform my little boy’s bare bedroom into something Pin-worthy, Pottery Barn-esque. I felt lazy, behind schedule and quite unoriginal. And then, my son chimed in … squawking, “go, go”, slapping his rocker to have me sit down and read a book.
He quickly reminded me that children need a safe place to sleep and know they’re loved – not a cart stacked with alphabetized books, a series of wall artwork, a mattress covered with designer print linens and a floor of bins organized with toys.
My son needs my eye contact, hugs, kisses, and gentle voice — more than the black walnut shelving that’s still not installed or handmade curtains still not hung. He knows that his room is safe and a place for us to snuggle, read and recount his day. That’s what matters.
Now, I’m not saying don’t dream about your child’s nursery. Or, spend time sourcing things to decorate and make it unique … I enjoyed that process! Just don’t feel pressured to go all in if you don’t want to, or can’t, or need a break from ‘settling into your home.’ Because as my son beautifully reminded me the other day, kids really need our presence and love — not a perfectly designed bedroom.
