A Pep Talk for the Imperfect Parent

Dear Moms and Dads,

You’re doing great. It’s okay you forgot to sign the permission slip. Don’t fret that you didn’t study with your kid for their spelling test. It’s fine that your kid’s lunchbox is full of synthetically food-colored, processed, individually wrapped snacks instead of fruits and vegetables. Don’t worry that your child’s teacher couldn’t pick you out of a line-up. It’s okay that you secretly hate reading to your kid out loud.

Every one of our kids is going to go to someday go to therapy and complain about something we did and THAT’S OKAY. That means you normalized mental healthcare for them! Great job! Even that kid with the perfect Mom who is there for everything is going to complain because she didn’t leave him alone enough.

You are doing the best you can and that is plenty. Take time to love yourself. If you wouldn’t let a stranger criticize your friend’s parenting, then don’t let the voices in your head criticize yours. These parenting videos and articles and TED talks are making us all feel worthless and inadequate.

You are amazing.

You are wonderful.

Celebrate your victories. Practice self care. Let your children know you don’t always handle things perfectly but that you love them unconditionally. That is all that truly matters.

Even if you accidentally miss a soccer game because you got super-into that new book you just got at the library.

Love,
Kim