The simple things 💫 🫧

There’s a lyric in Simple Things by Teddy Swims which both my kids love, that lingers with me every time I hear it. It’s a lovely little quiet reminder that what really matters in life isn’t the noise, the plans, or the pressure to be everything to everyone. It’s the simple things, the space to breathe and the permission to just be.

It’s the Easter hols now and you see it so clearly in the kids, especially as school gets more challenging. By the end of term, they’re tired in a way that isn’t always obvious at first glance. It’s not just physical tiredness, it’s a deeper kind. Their systems have been switched on for weeks; learning, adapting, managing friendships, meeting expectations and academic pressure for some. Even the happiest, most resilient kids carry that load.

And then the holidays arrive, and somewhere along the way we’ve learned that being a good parent is to fill them; plans, outings, activities, stimulation. As if rest needs to be earned or justified and as if doing nothing is something to feel guilty about. But actually, the longer I’ve done this parenting thing, the more I’m learning that kids don’t need more doing, they actually need less. They don’t need Easter boxes with their names on, 25 Easter eggs each, teddies, books, hunts, games, toys, table displays. It feels like it’s all gotten a bit much. 

They need slow mornings that turn into slow afternoons, they need boredom, because boredom is where imagination quietly returns. And imagination is what’s lacking now, we need more of it in this crazy world we live in. They need days where nothing much happens, because that’s where their nervous systems finally get to breathe out, a little sigh of relief… 

It’s funny cos to me, that’s what homeopathy does. A well-matched remedy doesn’t change who you are, it doesn’t push or force, it simply clears the noise. It brings a kind of clarity that feels like coming back to yourself. The expectations soften, for me it’s been silly things like not having to wash up or have a clean kitchen before bed. The guilt loosens its grip. You begin to see what’s actually needed, rather than what you think should be needed.

And sometimes what’s needed is very simple, just like Teddy Swims sings… 

A kid lying on the floor, building something slowly, or staring out of the window. A day without a plan. A parent letting go of the idea that they need to make every moment meaningful or memorable. Because actually rest is meaningful. Stillness is valuable. Doing nothing is, in its own quiet way, deeply restorative and blinking brilliant at times. 

So if the Easter holidays feel slower than you imagined, if there are gaps in the day, if nothing much gets ticked off a list, well then maybe that’s not something to fix.

Maybe that’s exactly what’s needed…

✌🏽

The simple things listen to it here maybe with a brew 🥹