A little follow-up to my Thursday stream. This wasn’t the plan. But it’s better. My stepdad sent me a photo of my son in full toddler tornado mode — with a tiny man bun I was clearly more excited about than he was. It reminded me how hard I used to chase the idea of “perfect parenting.” Milestones, matching outfits, the whole fantasy. Spoiler: None of that happened. What did happen? Something better. Once I let go of the expectations, I found joy in the real stuff: unexpected wins, messy moments, and memories that don’t look like Instagram — but mean everything. This week’s Substack is about freedom from expectations — and how releasing the “shoulds” makes space for peace, laughter, and the life you’re actually living. Read the full post here: [Insert Substack link]https://missshannanpaul.substack.com/p/this-wasnt-in-the-brochure And if you’ve let go of something that gave you peace, drop it in the comments. I’d love to hear your story.
Let go of the fantasy. Celebrate the weird, wonderful, chaotic version of your story. No, life didn't follow the plan, but we need to stop chasing perfect to finally have space to appreciate what's real.
So my stepdad sent me a baby pic in the family chat. And yes, that's my son back when he was a toddler rocking a tiny man bun that clearly I wanted more than he did. But that was back when I was still under the illusion that life and parenting came with the blueprint. It doesn't. No. Bun's handing out medals for most Instagramable family vacation, and nobody told my toddler back then that milestones are supposed to show up on a schedule. But once I stopped chasing that highlight reel and started actually embracing our real life blooper reel, things got so much better.
No, life didn't follow the plan, but we need to stop chasing perfect to finally have space to appreciate what's real. So here's your unsolicited advice. Let go of the fantasy. Celebrate the weird, wonderful, chaotic version of your story, and drop a heart in the chat if your perfect plan also went up in smoke and fruit snacks. And if you want the full story of that tiny man bun, it's in my substack. The L I N K is in my bil man buns for life.
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