Let’s be honest. When we become parents, we all strive to be that perfect parent. You know, like the ones in movies that blast through housework and parenting with such ease? Those parents that seem to have the perfectly well behaved kids, the clean floor, and a smile on their faces. It seems life all around us is telling us to be the perfect parent.
With my first three children, I tried my best to be that perfect. I failed miserably very quickly. I woke up one time to my two-year old covering me in pancake batter at 11 am because she was hungry and I didn’t wake up on time. There were multiple times that the girls wet diapers were sagging because I was too busy cleaning up crayon off the walls. I even managed to close my oldest finger in the window of the van and almost broke it! I am not the perfect parent.
“We have eaten tv dinners and pizza the last three nights because I haven’t felt up to cooking. I am not the perfect parent.”
Sure these seem like a few rare instances in the past, but I am still not a perfect parent. Every so often, I yell out of frustration in front of my kids when I get to frustrated too. I forget appointments and medication doses. I show my flaws on a daily basis. My floors haven’t been swept in two days now. We have eaten TV dinners and pizza the last three nights because I haven’t felt up to cooking. I am not the perfect parent.
I am not the perfect parent, but that is okay. Through all my flaws, my children see growth. When I make a mistake, I own up to it and apologize. When the floors aren’t swept, it’s because my focus is on something far more important. My focus is on my children. Those tv dinners, I fed them when I didn’t feel the best. The yelling, well I got nothing for that one lol. Not being that perfect parent is what makes you an amazing parent.
So often, we find the bad in ourselves. We over think things and stress our selves out. At the end of the day, we are all humans and make mistakes. What makes you a good parenting is teaching your children how to grow from those mistakes. How to be happy in the little moments and that love conquers all.
Some good insights!
One of my colleagues once said ‘don’t let the perfect ruin the good.’ That has always stuck with me. I try to be a good parent will bring about more good in the lives of my children than trying to be a perfect parent.
Steve Carter
TheCarterCrowd.com
That is an excellent way of looking at!