“Friends,
All I can do, each day, is try my very best.
Some days work magically, and as I lie in bed late at night with a look of utter surprise on my face, I often wonder how I pulled that particular day off.
And other days, well, let’s just say, those days may not have gone as planned, and I don’t deserve any awards coming my way.
But friends, on the days where I feel as if my parenting is an epic failure, and after I have beaten myself up a bit, I quickly bounce back to reality and remind myself I am human.
A human…
Not a superhuman…
Not a superhero…
Not a supermom…
But just a human.
A woman attempting her best each day.
I realize parenting can often look perfect on TV, movies, and social media, but mamas, we need to be on the lookout for fraudulent parenting.
You know, the kind of parenting that appears to be perfect.
But let’s keep in mind…
Perfection is unrealistic.
Perfection is silly to try to attain.
Perfect simply doesn’t exist in parenting.
I have realized my children will gain so much more by seeing my flaws and imperfections. They will see I make mistakes, problem solve, and learn how to move forward, navigating through whatever comes my way.
I owe it to my kids…
to see I struggle to make decisions.
I overthink most things that come my way and I either need to talk through it or I retreat to my own mind to figure it out.
I owe it to my kids…
to see many days the laundry is piling up in the bin in the hallway, the vacuum is still out and nothing has been vacuumed, and dinner is take out.
I owe it to my kids…
to see some days more hugs and apologies are needed after some snarky comments were made from me feeling overwhelmed. They need to see all of this so they know it’s okay to let out their ugly side and not stuff their feelings down to the depths of their gut.
I owe it to my kids…
to see my mistakes, and wow, there are a lot of them. We all make mistakes, that’s for sure. It’s just about how we share those mistakes.
Do we laugh, talk through it as a life lesson or push the mistake aside pretending it didn’t happen?
I owe it to my kids…
to see how I love. It may not be perfect and filled with chaos and frustration at times, but I love them fiercely, and they know it deep in their souls.
My children will see a countless number of imperfections daily, and I’m okay with that. I don’t want to try to attain perfection. It is too much pressure and a goal I am sure to never meet.
So for now, my children will see all parts of me, the good, the bad, and the downright ugly.
These may not be my finest parenting moments, but my flaws make me who I am as a whole person…a human.
So mamas, on the days you want to be perfect, remember this…
Being human is what your children will recall with a smile on their face and love filling up their hearts.
Being imperfect means being real.
Being human and imperfect allows our children to breathe and know being just as they are is good enough.
Let’s vow to ourselves to parent each day being just as we are. Imperfect and proud of it.”
This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Hang in there mama by Ali Flynn. You can follow her journey on Facebook and Instagram. Submit your own story here. Be sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter for our best stories, and YouTube for our best videos.
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