I am an organized person. Strike that. Aside from a house littered with the aftermath of 3 little boys at all times, I am generally an organized person. Hold up. Ok let’s be honest. I used to be an organized person. Then I became a mom.

In theory, I love to be organized. I like things to be neat and clean. In theory, my bathrooms aren’t coated in urine 22 seconds after I bleach them either, but we can’t have it all.

In theory, I would love to have all my ducks in a row… or in this case, the 16 pairs of shoes that are scattered about my entryway. But let’s talk out-of-theory.

The disarray of sneakers, boots, sandals, slippers, and any other foot covering that makes its way onto that floor used to send my anxiety through the roof. Like, there are 2 shoe trays clearly sitting right there. This is not difficult. I used to reline up every pair with its mate every time I passed or caught a glimpse of the mess out of the corner of my eye. Not because I was trying to impress anyone, but because I like things to be organized. 3 kids, 5-6 pairs of shoes each… you get the picture.

But I stopped relining them up. I stopped stressing out about it. Why? Because that cluster of random shoes represents the chaotic life with 3 active little boys that is our Summer. And ya know what… that’s ok. The world isn’t going to end if I leave the shoes a mess.

Do I teach my children to line up their shoes and put them in the correct place when they take them off? Yes, of course I do. Do they listen? Eh- most of the time. But they’re boys. And they’re 8, 8, and 4. Sometimes getting outside to ride their bikes before the sun sets is more important than lining up their shoes. I can align with that logic.

For those other moms out there who wish your lives could be filled with the organization of a Target-clad aisle with the beauty of a parenting style Pinterest board, we can all continue to fantasize and tell ourselves we’ll get there someday.

Instead of seeking out the someday of perfectly lined up shoes, I encourage you to embrace the mindset of parenting in Summer, and let your kids be kids. Line them up after they go to bed if it helps you sleep better at night.

Remember… that gathering of mismatched shoes represents the childhood of your little people. Embrace the chaos. Embrace the Summer. Embrace the mess of shoes. The first day of school is right around the corner – you can line them up then.

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