Truths About Being a Good Mom

Have you ever felt like there is one right way to be the perfect mom, but you can’t seem to measure up to it? Or maybe it’s more like those thoughts that keep us up at night -- “Am I doing a good job parenting? Are my kids getting everything they need? Am I making a monster, and I just haven’t realized it yet?”

A quick scroll through Instagram only fuels this fear that “the good moms” are always somehow thriving while all we can do is try to survive the chaos of these days.

When the voice of comparison may be ringing loud in our minds, our hearts need something to cling to.

So today, we’re sharing with you (and reminding ourselves) 3 truths about being a good mom

1. There is no such thing as “the perfect mom.”
   We know this, but it’s easy to forget it. How are you grading yourself, Mama? Are you falling into the trap of “all-or-nothing” thinking -- that if you’re not perfect, then you’re only failing? If we can have grace for our kids, we can learn to have grace for ourselves. We are all a work-in-progress, and progress matters more than perfection anyway.
   
   

2. Giving up on perfection is not the same as giving up on trying.
   So, if we stop trying to be perfect, then what should we focus on? Should we just throw our sticky hands up, unlock the baby gate, and let the cheerios fall where they may? Tempting, yes, but there’s a better solution.
   Instead of focusing on achieving 100% in all the things all the time, let’s try focusing on just getting 1% better each day. That simple shift in mindset can bring you the kind of inner peace that you and your kids have been craving.
   
3. It’s OK to give yourself the grace of being a beginner (again).
   

   Every season of childhood is different, and that means every season of motherhood looks different, too. Just like your child is constantly “a beginner” in certain areas, you are a beginner in guiding them through certain areas. If you’ve never parented a toddler before, then you’re a “beginner” at parenting toddlers -- of course you don’t know everything about it yet, or do everything right the first time you try! But that doesn’t mean that you won’t improve as you practice. So, do everyone in your house a favor, and try to give yourself the same kind of grace you give your kids as they learn. You’ll get there, Mama, and they will, too.

   Remember: “There is no way to be a perfect mother, and a million ways to be a good one,” as Jill Churchill once wrote.

   Letting go of the impossible goal of perfection will actually free us to finally start making progress. got this, Mom - one day at a time