According to a recent Today Show survey, 7,000 U.S. mothers admitted to suffering from Pinterest stress, worrying they are not crafty enough. I must come clean: I am one of the 7,000. As a first-time mom I feel the pressure to be the best and most perfect mom. I secretly compete with strangers on Pinterest to host the best kid’s parties, make the tastiest kid’s recipes, and create home-made keepsakes of my son’s firsts. I have wasted hours of precious sleep obsessively pinning projects and spent even longer attempting to complete those projects. What began as a great resource for decorating a nursery has turned into an obsession to be the next Martha Stewart.
My house is filled with supplies purchased for projects that either failed or were never completed out of frustration. Pretty soon I’ll be able to open my own craft store. I have canvas boards, paint supplies, knitting needles, fabric, and more kitchen cookie cutters than you’d ever need. My poor son has been forced to participate in my many Pinterest-inspired projects. At the height of Christmas card season, I was inspired by Pinterest to create a homemade card featuring my son sitting in front of the Christmas tree in an open gift box wearing a Christmas hat. I spent time decorating a box with white paper a gorgeous red bow and finding the perfect outfit and hat. The tree was decorated, my son was dressed in a photo worthy outfit and Santa hat, and the camera was ready. This was going to work perfectly! Then I placed him in the box and reality set in – babies do not sit still. He squirmed, pulled his hat off, ripped the wrapping paper, and tried to get out of the box. Despite my many attempts to distract him, my hopes were dashed. My perfect photo shoot ended in tears… for both of us.
Lucky for us Pinterest-obsessed, a mom in California has created Pinterest Fail, a blog dedicated to Pinterest projects gone wrong, where frustrated moms can post visual proof of their calamities. While hilarious, the blog serves a deeper purpose, reminding us that we are not all Martha Stewart and some projects are not doable in the real world. It is reassuring to know that I am not alone and that other people’s attempts to make oven-dried strawberries have failed. Martha Stewart may have the time and skill to dedicate to making fancy Hungry Caterpillar cakes, cake pops, custom hats and onesies for a first birthday party, but as a working mom I certainly do not. I can’t promise I’ll stop pinning or pressuring myself to be more crafty, but I can promise that for my son’s next birthday I will not be making his themed cake from scratch.
My advice to others obsessed with Pinterest, including myself – give yourself a break. Your kids, family, and friends will love you no matter how crafty and creative you are. Spend less time developing your craft library and more time making memories. And if you have any extra free time, I recommend spending it visiting Pinterest Fail.
