Mediocre Mom
Mother’s day is quickly approaching. It is always a time to celebrate whether it is your mother, being a mother, a step-mother or having someone in your life that has felt like a mother. I love my children and feel so blessed that I have the relationships I have with them today. I will be honest though, I have wounds with parenting that I had to do some hard work around. I think most of you have heard me speak into the power of owning your own story and being authentic. If you haven’t, read this. I think in order for us to live fully in life, we have to be willing to embrace our scars and our triumphs. Parenting can be a hard road. You start with the loss of your identity when our children come into our lives and day by day we are clearing our pathways, learning how to navigate with lots of quick turns and roadblocks. I think we want to have this image that we are perfect in our parenting. I think the truth is that the relationship with our kids is work, just like any other. There are struggles that we have within ourselves as parents and there is so much judgment in the world on what is and what is not a suitable parent. Think of all of the pressure new moms have with breastfeeding vs bottle feeding. What about discipline styles? And what about if you’re “so perfect kid” surprises you with a decision that they make that doesn’t have a favorable outcome?
What I have learned through my own hiccups and downright disasters with my kids is that it is a learning process for all. We have to be able to accept and forgive ourselves and our children. We need to model and teach them that we don’t have to feel ashamed of our falls, but that we can embrace them and pull the lessons and opportunities they give us. We need to show compassion versus judgment to ourselves and each other.
There is no such thing as a perfect mom. I want you to take this day to honor yourself for all that you are and for all that your mom has been to you and all that your children are. Let’s take out perfection and judgment and replace it with compassion and love.
Love,
Maggie
