Do you ever have those moments where you feel proud of the parent you are? Like it just shows through your kids that you must be doing something right. That you doing your best is good enough. I’m not talking about the my kid won another award or my kid is the top of their class proud moments. I’m talking about the little wins that mean so much more than they should, sometimes even more than winning awards.
Don’t get me wrong winning awards is great. It gives both you and your kid something to be proud of, but I’m not talking about those. I’m talking about the little moments that let you know you are raising an amazing little human being. Someone that knows right from wrong, stands up to the bullies, holds the door open for people, someone you’re proud to call your kid. Those are the moments I’m talking about. Think about those moments and all the times you had them. Think about the smile they brought to your face. Think about the way you felt.
Remember that feeling, especially when you doubt yourself. There’s been so many times the little moments made me realize I must be doing something right, but also so many moments I felt like such a failure. I want to be on top of my mom game all the time. Be the best I can be in all aspects of life. Unfortunately that’s not always the case. Life happens fast and it’s so unpredictable. Sometimes my mom game isn’t on point. I forget appointments, glasses, homework, medicine, you name it. More recently I forgot to be the tooth fairy for 2 days. My daughter thought the tooth fairy hated her because of it. The kids have just gotten better than me at staying up late. With distance learning and early mornings they’re getting better. I had to come up with reasons why.
I’m not the perfect mom. I never will be and I’m okay with that. For the longest time I beat myself up over the little things like forgetting homework or appointments or being the tooth fairy. I felt so guilty for letting my kids down and especially myself for not being the best mom I could be. I was so hard on myself thinking I was failing and my kids deserved better. The truth is, I wasn’t letting my kids down (well maybe a little with the tooth fairy thing) and I wasn’t failing. I was being the best mom I could be given the circumstances. I was at the top of my game and I didn’t even know it.
Motherhood is all about learning, teaching, growing, and doing what you feel is best. Hating yourself, doubting yourself, and feeling like a failure will get you nowhere. You don’t have to be on top of your game all the time to be a good mom. You are allowed to fail. You are allowed to forget things and get things wrong. You are allowed to be mediocre when you need to be. Being a mom is a huge job and it never stops, never slows down. The mom that you are is good enough. You are good enough. Your mom game IS on point, no matter what that may look like. You got this mama.