I am not a perfect person. So why do I expect myself to be a perfect parent?
And even knowing that perfection can’t be attained, I still try to be the perfect parent. I try to research everything, try to create the perfect balance of stimulation and alone time for my children. I steamed and pureed baby food for months, and tried to support my children’s growth and learning. The standard I set for myself is often too high and truthfully exhausting.
Truthfully, dinners sometimes are frozen meals, screens are overused and my level of frustration sometimes simmers to explosion.
What I have come to embrace is that I am flawed. I want to my children to see me for my whole self, my strengths and my weaknesses. I was doing them a disservice trying to be the “perfect” mom. It’s a degree of excellence that can’t be met and I don’t want them to emulate that. As a role model for my children, I want to show that you can be happy, content and successful without being “perfect”.
What behaviors do you hope your children learn from you? Please share in the comments!
