Plants and Parenting: Why I Keep Chasing Small Wins

There are seasons of parenting where everything feels like maintenance.

You keep everyone fed. You find the missing shoe. You clean the same spill twice. You look up and it is already bedtime, and you did not do any of the things that make you feel like yourself.

That is when I notice the plants.

Not the Instagram plants. The real-life plants. The ones with a chewed leaf because someone got curious. The pothos that survived because it is basically immortal. The spider plant that keeps tossing pups like it is handing out party favors.

The Plant That Made Me Feel Competent

I do not remember the exact week. I just remember the vibe.

The kids were sick. Sleep was bad. Work was loud. The house looked like a small tornado lived there.

I went to water the plants and realized my Chinese evergreen had pushed out a new leaf. A perfect, glossy leaf that did not care about my schedule.

It sounds cheesy, but it hit me: something in this house was growing.

Why Plants Fit Real Life

Plants ask for a few basic things:

• Light
• Water
• Time
• Forgiveness

Parenting also asks for those things, but it asks in a much louder voice.

When I check soil before watering, I am practicing patience. When I wait instead of panic-watering, I am practicing restraint. When I cut off a yellow leaf and move on, I am practicing not taking everything personally.

The Kids Part

Kids want to help. They also want to poke.

So we keep it simple:

• They can mist the big leaves with plain water
• They can drop pothos cuttings into a jar
• They can help harvest microgreens with scissors

Sometimes they overdo it. Sometimes a plant suffers. That is the deal.

What I Tell Myself When a Plant Dies

I do not say this out loud, but I think it:

“We are learning. This is normal. Try again.”

That sentence applies to everything.

What To Do Next

• Pick one easy plant and learn it well (pothos, spider plant, Chinese evergreen)
• Put a calendar reminder to check soil once a week
• If you are overwhelmed, start a microgreens tray. Ten days is a nice promise