Moms Make Mistakes

We are not perfect. We do our best to raise our children in the best possible fashion, but let's face it: we make mistakes. The long days, long nights, hours of tantrums and whining and nudging and fussing can get on our nerves. We have moments we can proudly declare that we conquered our weaknesses and kept calm through it all. And then we have other moments where we hit all-time-lows. We do what we *swore* we wouldn't do, say what we *promised* we'd never say, and sometimes surprise ourselves with thoughts that any "normal" mom is NEVER supposed to think about herself, her spouse, her extended family, and of course her children.

Some of us dwell on these low moments. We lay awake at night and wonder if our children will ever heal from the damage we've incurred. We ask ourselves why we couldn't have been stronger, why we couldn't see past the frustration. We pray that it won't happen again, but have a terrible foreboding feeling that it may, and next time could even be worse. So we despair.

Recently, a friend helped encourage me with a new spin on how to manage my sense of guilt. She pointed out that I'm human. And that my children can and should know that. They can and should grow up in a house where people make mistakes. Moms, dads, children, everyone is human. We all have fantastic moments of parenting and terrible moments of weakness. And that needs to be okay. As a role model for my children, it MUST be okay for them to see and know that I am not an angel and not perfect.

So rather than beat myself up every time my humanity shines, I am choosing to forgive myself. And ask my children to forgive me. Because just as much as they need to apologize for hurting my feelings, I need to apologize for hurting theirs. And we kiss and hug and make-up and go out for ice cream. We are learning to accept each others shortcomings.

Embracing your own humanity is a life-long process. Parenthood is a good place to start.