Charleston is the perfect place to have a fast-paced life and a slow-paced one. There is always something happening, especially when school starts back up, and it can be so fun to stay busy. But it’s also OK to have days when you do absolutely nothing. Staying home, letting the kids play and simply hanging out as a family can be exactly what everyone needs.

A few years ago, a big-time mom influencer shared something that caught my attention. Sometimes I love her posts, sometimes I don’t, but this one really stuck with me. She was a mom of three boys at the time, all in school full-time, and she shared that her boys didn’t typically attend birthday parties unless they were very close friends or the families were especially close. When she looked at their calendar, she realized they could easily end up attending dozens of birthday parties every year, before even counting sports friends, church friends and other activities. She decided that, for her family, they simply weren’t going to attend every birthday party anymore.

You might love that idea or hate it, but what I took from it is this: it’s OK to say no. Our kids have school friends, sports friends, neighborhood friends and church friends, and suddenly you can find yourself at a birthday party almost every weekend. Add in soccer, dinners, festivals and other activities, and it’s easy to feel completely overwhelmed.

You don't need a huge excuse to decline an invitation. Try saying, “Let me take a look at our schedule and get back to you.” And don’t forget to actually block off time on your calendar for doing nothing. If Saturday afternoon is going to be family time at home, protect it just like you would any other commitment.

You can also say, “Thank you so much for inviting us! We won’t be able to make it, but we hope they have the best birthday.” Simple, kind and no guilt required.

I think sometimes we can overthink being polite to other people, and that becomes more important than having periods of restful time. Don’t assume people will be offended if you don’t end up going to their parties or events!