Do Moms have to try everything too?

As moms, we spend a lot of time trying to coax our children to try new things.  Whether it’s a new food, a new activity or  a new friendship, it seems like we’re always encouraging them to be open to new experiences.

As moms, many of our new experiences come through our children.  Thanks to my son, I’ve tried all kinds of things I never would have even thought twice about.  And I’m grateful for the ways he’s taken me out of my comfort zone in all kinds of ways.

But it also seems like there comes a time when we get to give ourselves a pass.  I remember having a conversation with other moms about whether the ‘one bite rule’ applied to the grownups as well as the kids in the family.  One of the moms said that she had lived long enough to know that there were certain foods she didn’t like, would probably never like, and wasn’t planning to try ever again.

I remember thinking what a healthy sense of boundaries she had.  She was open to all kinds of new experiences,  and she was just really clear about her preferences in this area.  There was a real consciousness in her position, it wasn’t a knee-jerk, “I hate brussles sprouts.”

This is on my mind because today I found myself scaling a 30 foot telephone pole in just prior to stepping off a 2 foot square platform attached via a very sturdy set of harnesses and a couple of carabiners to a zip line.

One of the stories I tell about myself is that I’m game for anything, and for the most part this is true.  But I’ve also come to see that maybe I don’t have to be.

In the last decade I’ve had enough involuntary adrenaline surges that I don’t really enjoy that sensation much anymore, even under the heading of recreation.

So as I reached the 20 foot mark, I found myself with that familiar sensation:  heart racing, palms sweating, asking myself, “Do I really need to do this?”

I gave some serious consideration to climbing right back down the pole.  I was with family, so I wasn’t really worried about anyone giving me a hard time about it but I decided to keep going.

I was telling myself that a measure of fear at the prospect of climbing the pole and then jumping off it was a sign of a healthy survival instinct, but as I reached the top, it was clear to me that I would take this jump, but that this would probably be the last time I’d volunteer to do this to myself.

The story of ‘being game for anything’ has served me well for many years.  It has taken me into situations that pushed my comfort zone in good ways, and allowed me to play in sandboxes I might never have known existed.

But on this day, I could see how this story had put me into a situation I didn’t really need to be in.

I took the leap- and aside from the moment of terror at stepping off the platform, it was kind of fun.  But not that much fun.  And the residual effects of the rush weren’t that fun at all.

It was one of those situations where I’m glad I did it, and I really don’t have to do it again.

This is not to say that I want to get stuck in my comfort zone- but I don’t want to be stuck outside it either.  So I’m letting myself off the hook.

I’ll continue to encourage my son to step out of his comfort zone- but also to know when NOT to.

So how about you?  What stories have you told about yourself that keep you in (or out) of your comfort zones?  Where have you given yourself conscious permission to be where you are?

Do-Overs and High-Fives is still on hiatus… Back to our regularly scheduled posts next week!