Confessions of the Not-So-Perfect Mom

I have a confession to make…

My two year old still sleeps with a pacifier.

Maybe a few confessions…

I let my oldest daughter have a bottle at bedtime until she was almost two.

 I have been known to give my kids treats just so they will be quiet.

When I am sick, I let my toddler watch the Disney Channel all day.

I have given my children their way, just because I want them to stop crying.

My oldest daughter slept with me for the first 4 months.

I have forgotten to brush my toddler’s teeth more times than I can count.

GASP!

I have a friend that gives her daughter suckers in the grocery store, so she can shop in peace.

I have another friend that still rocks her 1-1/2-year-old to bed at night.

Another mom I know doesn’t make her son wear a hat when it’s cold outside.

GASP!

            Are we bad moms? Of course not. We are just moms trying our best to raise healthy, balanced children. Being a mommy or daddy is one of the hardest jobs out there. Not only are you completely responsible for another individual’s life and wellbeing, but you are constantly bombarded with research and opinions about how to do it right. Every time I read a new book on raising wonderful, happy, socially acceptable, well-behaved, polite children, I can feel my internal guilt meter soar. I will never be able to live up to the ideals set forth by the baby experts.

            But, I am done feeling guilty. My children are not going to be developmentally behind in kindergarten because they watch Little Einsteins ; they aren’t going to become sociopaths because I gave them their way a few times. After two and half years of comparing myself (and not favorably) to what I envision as the “perfect” mom, I give up.           I think I have done a pretty good job of balancing my children’s need and wants with what I can reasonably provide while still remaining sane. It is time that I accept that I am doing what works for my children, and that it is the best I can do.

            I may not be perfect, but I am a good mom. I hop around the yard like a kangaroo; I dance through the house with a colander on my head; I finger paint and do puzzles and endlessly count cheerios. The first and last thing my children hear each day is “I love you.” The sound of my children’s laughter is my favorite thing in the world. These are things I will think about from now on.

            So, what should you do the next time you feel guilty for not being perfect? Relax….you just might be NORMAL.

Amber Hodgson writes in Lee’s Summit, MO, where she is trying to locate her colander so she can drain some pasta.