Yesterday, I messed up.
I lost my cool over something pretty small and… I yelled at my kids. Yep, I am indeed an imperfect Mom. I felt like a failure for a few minutes, and then I remembered that “messing up” is one of the qualities of being a great mom.
Messing up gave me the opportunity to let my kids know that I made an honest mistake, and then I was able to ask them for forgiveness which they offered freely and immediately. And then I forgave myself. After that, the kids and I were in a position to do better and move forward with the rest of our day.
You see friend, as long as we’re doing this parenting thing, we WILL make mistakes sometimes. But if our heart’s desire is to love our kids well and to raise them up to be happy, honoring, productive adults, then we are rocking this parenting thing. We are making a difference!
Show Up
I promise that your kids won’t remember every toy they ever received for Christmas, but they WILL remember all the times you showed up. Every basketball game, every dance recital, every school program… They will look back at those times and remember how they searched for your face in the stand and how they noticed your smile of approval. I understand that sometimes work or circumstances do not allow for us to show up. Your kids understand that too! This is not about feeling shameful, but rather it’s about showing up as much as we can, being fully present and our kids knowing that we WANT to be there.
Side note: I personally like showing up in clean, nice clothes. I don’t have to be over-the-top fancy, but I do want to convey that I look and feel my best. I enjoy feeling like my kids can be proud to say that I’m their Mom!
Mess Up
Mess up? Yep, mess up. Like I said before, as long as we are doing this parenting thing, we are going to make mistakes. Have you ever heard the saying “You’ll miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”? Check this out… “I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed.” Any guesses who said that?
MICHAEL JORDAN.
Friend, Michael Jordan was one of the greatest basketball players of all time! He trained for it. He ate, breathed, slept it and LIVED it. And sometimes he MESSED up, he missed some shots… but guess what everyone remembers about him… all the times he succeeded. Friend, he succeeded because he messed up sometimes!
As long as we are doing our best to parent well, we’re going to mess up sometimes! However, that also means that collectively we’re going to win big by continuing to move forward and do better!
Here’s the Pro Mom tip: When you do mess up, not if, but when, and your heart is hurting and you know that your kid’s heart is hurting… Get a little real, tell your kiddo that you made a mistake and ask them to please forgive you. They will, friend. They will forgive you in an instant and then you will both be in a place where you can move forward. Asking for forgiveness shows your kid that…
- A) You’re human and everyone makes mistakes and that’s OKAY
- B) You care that they were hurting because of what you said
- C) It’s important to say “I’m sorry”
- D) Above all else, you love them and want the best for them
Never, Ever Give Up
Confession, dear friend… there have been times when I’ve felt like giving up. Yep. I’ve had moments where I had to literally step outside of my house and breathe in fresh air and get clear-headed. But you know what? Those tough moments pass.
All those old cliches like “it won’t be like this for long” and “blink and they will be off to college”? Well, they are true. Those cliches are true, friend! So just because you’re having a bad moment doesn’t mean that you have a bad life or a bad family. In fact, you have an AMAZING family. Don’t give up!
You don’t have the time to give up. You don’t have the luxury of giving up. Your little humans need you and soon, they’ll be thinking they don’t need you. And you’ll cling to every precious moment you’ve had with them. And you’ll smile because you’ll know that you did your best and you never gave up.
You’ll know that you showed up, that you messed up and it helped you move forward. You’ll know that you never gave up and you’ll know that you’re a Mom that made a huge difference.
Kids and parents alike will love the fun alliteration, charming illustrations and powerful message tucked inside the pages of the book.
“We fell in love with sweet Penny very quickly and look forward to applying the lessons she learns to our everyday lives. We hope there will be more books about Penny and her adventures!”
-Kaylene Y.
What’s your Parenting Style? Are you the Fun & Spontaneous Parent, more Laid Back, a Protective Mama Bear or the Classically Strict Parent? Find out in 30 seconds and use it to bring out the best in your kids! Curious? Take the quiz HERE!
Family time around the dinner table can be hard to come by. When you do get those precious moments, engage in meaningful conversation with the Family Table Talk Guide. It’s a list of little conversation starters to share around the table with the people you love most!
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