As the founder of an Event Planning business and mom of two, I've realized the holidays (and honestly, life in general) come with way too many expectations — most of them placed on moms. Somewhere along the way we decided we have to do everything perfectly: the tidy house, the coordinated outfits, the magical traditions, the spotless kitchen, the flawless schedule... and then we wonder why we're so exhausted before New Year's Eve even roles around. This year, I finally said it out loud: My New Year's resolution is letting go of CONTROL. Not the healthy kind of control — the unrealistic, impossible, "I need to personally manage every detail or everything will fall apart" kind. The type of control that keeps me in a constant state of pressure and performance. The type that whispers, "If you don't handle it yourself, it won't be done right." I'm over it. Letting go of control doesn't mean chaos. It means freedom. It means trusting that not everything needs to be perfect to be beautiful. It means: Letting the house look lived-in instead of obsessively photo-ready. Letting simple traditions replace the complicated ones that secretly stress me out. Letting go of being the default planner, scheduler, fixer, and emotional thermostat for everyone. I've spent so many years automatically stepping into the "I'll do it" role — at home, at work, at events, everywhere. Owning a business trained me to take charge. Motherhood trained me to anticipate needs before anyone speaks them. But somewhere in that mix, I took on things no one ever asked me to carry. Control can feel like safety (trust me, I'm an Event Planner by profession) but it can also become a cage. And I'm choosing to step out of it. This year, I want to enjoy moments instead of orchestrating every detail of them. I want to leave space for spontaneity. I want to let other people show up for me, not just the other way around. I want to let my kids remind me what actual joy looks like — imperfect, messy, loud, real. So that's my gentler, kinder resolution: To release control, and make room for more peace, more joy, and more presence. Because life — especially mom life — was never meant to be lived on a tight, color-coded timeline. And honestly? The less I try to control everything, the more magical everything seems to become. Shumaila Panhwar, mom of two, Los Angeles, CA. SoCal Event Planners LLC
A Stacked Calendar. With work, family, friends and school, it can fill up fast! So I've embraced simplifying the calendar and doing less! You'll find that the activities will be more meaningful as well!