Have you felt the need to present your family as perfect? That if you didn’t show up as this unblemished picture, it was your failure?
It has taken many years for me to see how ludicrous this is.
Society has painted this picture of parenthood for generations that, in reality, is impossible to live up to in the real world.
There was never a day that you would find me with:
Oh, and are those bluebirds singing in the background?
Really?
Yeah, that never happened. Can you imagine?
Truthfully, I was lucky if I showered and had on clean clothes most days.
My house was a mess, and dirty dishes overflowed from the sink and blanketed the whole counter.
Can you relate?
And yet there was so much pressure to be perfect.
So much pressure to be “put together.”
Well-behaved children. Running everyone around. Volunteering.
Never a crossword or tear shed.
Do you hear my hysterical laughter?
Shall I go on?
Why can’t society paint a realistic picture of motherhood?
Let the chaos show.
Celebrate! You managed to get everyone out of the house without bloodshed!
Parenthood is the most humbling job you will ever have.
You’re molding the future, raising your children to be:
There is no training, no instruction book, you are clueless.
As parents, you go in blind. Thinking you are going to rewrite the book.
That you are going to do everything different, better.
I get it.
I wasn’t going to yell, spank or get angry. We were going to live in perfect harmony.
Or not.
The truth, I wasn’t perfect. I was human.
I did the best I could. I was young and inexperienced.
And I blamed myself for not being perfect.
But.
I raised my family in the midst of many challenging times:
It’s called real life.
There was never enough money. There were a lot of sacrifices.
I shopped sales and was grateful for hand-me-downs. Isn’t that natural?
Children don’t know how to appreciate the behind the scenes magic, sacrifices and hardships.
They are not selfish. They are kids!
It’s not their responsibility to know these things.
Every generation wants to give and do more than the one before them.
As a parent, you may push your kids.
Not to be mean. To encourage, because you have experience.
You may say things they think are awful. It’s called tough love.
There will be mistakes, but not intentionally.
And if you have read this far, you likely love and want the best for them.
Have you ever been there?
You might do things wrong, but you will do even more that is right.
You can apologize for your shortfalls, but there is no need to apologize for being human.
My advice?
LOVE like you never imagined possible!
God blessed you with these incredible human beings and gave you the responsibility to love, nurture, and teach them until it was time for them to leave the nest.
Believe me.
It’s a truth. Somewhere along the line, kids usually tell their parents they are failures.
Blame them for everything that is wrong in their lives.
They can do this because they know a parent’s love will always be there.
My message to you is simple.
Parenthood is down and dirty, and not for the faint of heart.
Screw the image you think you are supposed to have. Celebrate that you are a loving human being.
Keep your sense of humor because you will need it!
The day will come when they understand that you did your best, and they will acknowledge their appreciation.
At this point, you will know they are walking in your shoes!
These are not unique observations. It is easy to relate to.
Allow yourself to see the humor versus the pain.
The hardest part of change is taking the first step.
Let this seasoned mom help you be your own Friend First.
Learn about self-love. Learn that you need to care for yourself too!
I was there. That is when I found the Growth-U Community and took the Friends First Program.
I learned to be my own best friend.
To forgive myself.
To be a better mom.
Everything that you could ask for.
It is when we truly love ourselves that we can fully give our hearts to others!
What are you waiting for?