I’ve fallen victim to the Beige Mom aesthetic… the picture-perfect living rooms with perfectly placed aesthetically pleasing toys. The perfect color-coordinated bookshelves and the minimalistic color palettes have all but grabbed me and held me captive. I’ve seen mothers buy brand-new toys straight out of the box and spray paint them to fit into the pleasing home furnishings that inhabit their living quarters. I’ve all but forced beige shades into my child’s hand and in his sight, disappointed when he looks away and goes straight for the hideous eyesore: The Fisher-Price Deluxe Kick & Play Piano Gym (iykyk).
These bright toys litter my living room making me feel as though I’ve failed to be the perfect Instagram mom I thought I’d be. Time and time again, my child chose the brightly colored plastic junk and I gave in every single time. My home is now filled with all colors of the rainbow. My Pinterest boards are appalled by my lack of control over the scheme of my child’s playthings. I’ve picked my battles too far.
My home looks like kids live here. Their belongings are very visible. The toys do not blend into their surroundings. There is a bright red slide in the middle of my grey and white coordinated living room. I will not ask him to sink into the background any longer. I give in. He will not be forced to blend into his surroundings by spray painting his treasures whites and shades of beige. I don’t want him to blend in or be diminished by my idea of the “perfect living room”. I hope one day his future is as bright as the 800-piece MEGA BLOCKS set that has been dispersed throughout our home. He can keep his problematic bright toys. Oh, how I wish my house was Pinterest-worthy, but if it looks like kids live here, it’s because they do.
