Often times as a mom, I look at this room and cringe.

My daughters are blessed with countless toys. They have family and friends who love them dearly and have gifted them with puzzles, building blocks, stuffed animals and too many dolls than I can count.

There is plastic play food filling up bins and countless books. We have hand me down dress-up clothes, well used art supplies, and toy cars that have probably raced one too many laps.

And each time we do a deep clean of this room, we choose or find a few more toys to pass on.

But deep cleans don’t happen every day. Every couple of months at best.

And so this room, this play room, is more like mommy’s stress room. I walk by and cringe. Some days I can’t even look at it because I get too stressed and frustrated with how messy it is. With how no matter how hard I try, or how many different Pinterest style organization tips I attempt, I am always helping to clean up the mess.

But the other day, as we sat on the floor playing amidst the mess, my mom called us over FaceTime. As soon as I turned the screen in the direction of my girls, I knew she would be welcomed into the chaos of this mess.

“Wow! You girls look like you have been playing hard today!”

“We have! We played dress up, and went on a scavenger hunt and had a tea party and...” My daughter continued listing all that she could remember.

And my mom was right. We had played hard.

Imagination was in full force.

Creativity was splattered everywhere.

And they were doing what they do best—enjoying their childhood simply being kids.

So yes, the room was a disaster. Yes, I had asked my kids to clean up their mess and they didn’t listen. Yes, messes make me stressed and angry.

And yes, as moms, we often feel like we are constantly cleaning a never-ending mess. But today, I was reminded of how important these messes truly are.

Because my children are playing, laughing and smiling.

They are learning and growing and making memories.

My children are enjoying the innocence of their youth.

And frankly, there will continue to be plenty of messes to clean up later. Messes that sometimes we create, other times are created without our knowledge. Messes that I will continue to help my children clean up, just as my mom still helps me with mine.

(Thanks for the perspective change, mom! ♥️)