I was reading a Loretta LaRoche book yesterday and a quote about how silly it is to get stressed out about “things that aren’t essential to your next breath” just resonated with me. As people, we all get stressed about a variety of things as it is; but as parents, we sure do stress out about the tiniest little details! In celebration of Let It Go Day, let’s use today as an excuse to let the things that are not-so-important go—and if not permanently, at least for today.

Let go of the need to be clean. What’s more important—flying a kite with your child or making sure every surface is dust-free? Mud pies, puddles and play-dough are all fun, not fearsome—embrace the mess!

Let go of the need to be in control. Control is an illusion anyway, right? For once, let someone else make decisions. Have your significant other choose where to eat. Let your toddler pick what you’re going to wear for the day. Who knows? It could be fun, and it takes away the stress of having everything dependent on you.

Let go of the need to be perfect. So there’s a coffee stain on your shirt, your baby is slightly behind on the sitting milestone, and your lasagna doesn’t taste quite as good as Olive Garden’s. So what? You’re human—give yourself a break! Look at your stain like a psychological exercise; what do you see? Be creative. Your baby will more than likely catch up; relax and enjoy the little butterball. And while your pasta may not be up to your own personal standard, you know how much everyone loves your enchiladas, so why not be grateful for that skill?

Let go of yesterday. This one definitely needs to be in our daily repertoire. Yesterday is the past, it’s history; so you didn’t get everything done you wanted to check off, and you may have let Junior watch The Wonderpets one too many times… Guess what? Today you have the extraordinary gift to simply start all over. So use it and stop worrying about the past!

Let go of “someday.” While yesterday is gone, the fact remains that tomorrow is not a guarantee; this moment could always be our last. Use this moment up to its fullest; drink it up like you’re sucking your favorite summer beverage with a big neon twisty straw (In fact, why not invest in a twisty straw? Invest in several and have the whole family use them!).  If this was your last minute on Earth, what would you do? Just do it, and remember that any time spent living isn’t time wasted—but time worrying is! So stop thinking about someday and start living today.