Self-Help Books-Just More Rules?

We all get them. We all want to better ourselves and browse the bookstores for the perfect "Follow me!" rules so that we can be the perfect Mom, wife, boss, etc...The bookstores are full of books helping us name our babies, feng shui our spaces, bring romance back into our marriages, and even to tell us how to deal with hormonal teenage daughters.  I've read my share of these books, and have gotten a lot of great tips from them. Do you want to know the big secret I just figured out? 

Those extra "rules" that I HAD to start following so that, I too, could be wonderful..well, they just added a lot more stress to my life.

I read that I wasn't supposed to have anything in my room that wasn't for the bedroom- no TV,  computer, desk...  Am I a horrible person for wanting to have a TV in my room? No-in fact, it may just cause fewer arguments over the TV when Grey's is on and everyone is wanting to talk to me.  I can lock my door!! It's okay, they can knock if it's an emergency.. Gosh-I'm kidding, they have phones and can dial 911!

Families have to eat at the dinner table every night together. Yes, when my girls were younger and we weren't driving 3 different ways at 6pm every night, we definitely ate together most of the time.  Now, it's a juggling act just to make sure everyone gets to eat dinner, whether it's Subway or homemade (homemade-what?)!

Don't fix meals from a box, they are full of sodium and so absolutely horrible for us.  No more Hamburger Helper? WHAT????  It would be great if we had the finances and time to afford a homemade meal three times a day.  Unfortunately, we all can't be Betty Homemakers and cook meals with fresh meat and veggies even once a day. Hey, if I get to do that even once a week, I feel like a complete WINNER!!

I am letting myself off of the hook.  I will put a TV in my room, and maybe even a desk! I will not feel guilty that we don't all sit together every night for dinner because I know that we all stay connected through texting and talking-even (OMG!!!!) away from the dinner table, because that is when we are available to connect.  I will not give it a second thought when fixing frozen pizza for dinner after a basketball game because it's too late to cook a big meal. Life is too short for me to worry about these silly things!