Why Imperfect is Perfect

When was the last time you thought, My kids are so lucky! I'm the perfect mom! 

If it's been a while (or never), why? 

I know what you're thinking. One--it's not nice to brag. And two--I would never say I'm a perfect mom! Am I right? Well, guess what? 

Sometimes it is good to brag. Just a little. Or if you don't like the word brag, how about being willing to give yourself a little credit? Bragging gets a bad rap, and maybe it should, but on the other hand, maybe we need to brag just a little bit more. Not in a "I'm better than everyone else" kind of way, but maybe in a "I'm getting this and it sure feels good" kind of way. 

Now to that word--perfect. Are you now, or have you ever been, a perfectionist about something? I have! Man alive, I was determined to keep a perfect home and have perfect children. Ha! This, of course, meant I had to be the perfect mother. Oh boy! Talk about a miserable way to live. I could not come close to maintaining my standards, and it was discouraging. Motherhood was not very fun during those days.

Then I learned a secret. 

I didn't have to try to be perfect. I already was! 

What?? 

It's true! I was already a perfect mom for my kids. They didn't actually need a perfect woman who never made mistakes and always had an immaculate home. Goodness, no! That's the last thing they needed, or even wanted. They just needed good old me. Flaws and all. Mistakes by the hundreds. Poor posture, missing toenails (now that's a story you have to hear!), messy bun hair daily, emotional, over zealous, one dinner/week (on a good week) ME. 

That's it. 

I couldn't be a more imperfect mother. And yet . . .

I couldn't be more perfect! And I'm so happy about it! I adore my kids, and you know what? I think they adore me. Sure, they get frustrated with me at times and want to pinch my face off, but they know how genuinely I love them. They know I am trying so hard to train and teach and lead and mentor and love them into the most beautiful humans they could possibly become. They know I'm their biggest cheerleader and someone they can talk to about anything. They know I am willing to show them the way forward and have their backs at the same time. 

I'm not perfect at any of these things. Of course not! But I try. Oh, how I try! 

And that is why my imperfect mothering is oh, so perfect! 

And so is yours! 

You got this!