It would be so easy for us parents to look into the future and see how our children turn out. See what we, as parents, missed and try to correct, but also see what us as parents did right. Sadly we cannot do this. We have to do the best we can now, and hope that the future turns out the best that it can. We as parents tend to self doubt ourselves a lot. Me included.
I should have stayed calm, I should have more patience, I should have not given in, I should have given in, I should have, I should have, I should have. The thing that all of us parents forget, is that we are human too. We aren't perfect, we make mistakes. We sometimes yell, over react, talk in circles, and a lot of times feel horrible after and like we are the worst parents on the world.
A video on Upworthy showed me otherwise. http://www.upworthy.com/these-kids-finally-say-what-they-really-think-about-mom-and-her-reaction-priceless-9?g=2&c=reccon1 This video brought me to tears. Which some who know me say it's not a hard thing to do, but it did. Even though the video was geared towards mothers (done for mother's day), this goes for dads too. When our children tell us they love us, they mean it. If you were to ask your child to describe you, I bet you would be very happily surprised. No, we are not perfect, but our kids don't care about our imperfections. They just care that we are there for them. That we give them hugs, kisses, cuddles and snuggles, I love you's, and of course the occasional treat like ice cream.
They forgive our imperfections. Why? Because we do forgive theirs. We forgive theirs every time they make a mistake, and in the end, when it's all said and done, they still hear "I love you" from us. They still get those hugs, and kisses, and cuddles and snuggles. We show them in so many ways that we don't even realize, that it can be overwhelming. What we parents should try to do, is feel more confident about ourselves, and our abilities. Of course we should also continue working on our weaknesses. I mean I can't stop trying to be more patient, more understanding. When I'm having a really crappy day, or not feeling well...yeah those are the days I need to work on even more. Those are the days, that I really need to work extra hard to create moments of laughter, and smiles. It's hard, heaven help me it's hard. But, I am not sick everyday. Everyday is not a bad day. So for all those good days, I need to be confident. I need not feel guilty about disciplining my boys. They need that too. How else are they going to learn? And at the end of everyday, I must remember, my boys love me. Unconditionally.
I'm in no way a "perfect" mom, nor do I pretend to be. I have no problem correcting my boys behavior when in a store. I don't worry if other people look at me, or even hear me. If someone has a problem with me handling a situation immediately, instead of waiting till I get to the privacy of my home, when there is a good chance my kids will have forgotten about what they did, that's on them. Not on me. But I can still be more patient in the store. I'm going to try. I believe I can do this. I just need to be confident in my abilities. Embrace all the good stuff, and not hide from what I do wrong, and keep trying to fix it. Yup, I'm human, I make mistakes. Even as a parent. And it's ok.
I should have stayed calm, I should have more patience, I should have not given in, I should have given in, I should have, I should have, I should have. The thing that all of us parents forget, is that we are human too. We aren't perfect, we make mistakes. We sometimes yell, over react, talk in circles, and a lot of times feel horrible after and like we are the worst parents on the world.
A video on Upworthy showed me otherwise. http://www.upworthy.com/these-kids-finally-say-what-they-really-think-about-mom-and-her-reaction-priceless-9?g=2&c=reccon1 This video brought me to tears. Which some who know me say it's not a hard thing to do, but it did. Even though the video was geared towards mothers (done for mother's day), this goes for dads too. When our children tell us they love us, they mean it. If you were to ask your child to describe you, I bet you would be very happily surprised. No, we are not perfect, but our kids don't care about our imperfections. They just care that we are there for them. That we give them hugs, kisses, cuddles and snuggles, I love you's, and of course the occasional treat like ice cream.
They forgive our imperfections. Why? Because we do forgive theirs. We forgive theirs every time they make a mistake, and in the end, when it's all said and done, they still hear "I love you" from us. They still get those hugs, and kisses, and cuddles and snuggles. We show them in so many ways that we don't even realize, that it can be overwhelming. What we parents should try to do, is feel more confident about ourselves, and our abilities. Of course we should also continue working on our weaknesses. I mean I can't stop trying to be more patient, more understanding. When I'm having a really crappy day, or not feeling well...yeah those are the days I need to work on even more. Those are the days, that I really need to work extra hard to create moments of laughter, and smiles. It's hard, heaven help me it's hard. But, I am not sick everyday. Everyday is not a bad day. So for all those good days, I need to be confident. I need not feel guilty about disciplining my boys. They need that too. How else are they going to learn? And at the end of everyday, I must remember, my boys love me. Unconditionally.
I'm in no way a "perfect" mom, nor do I pretend to be. I have no problem correcting my boys behavior when in a store. I don't worry if other people look at me, or even hear me. If someone has a problem with me handling a situation immediately, instead of waiting till I get to the privacy of my home, when there is a good chance my kids will have forgotten about what they did, that's on them. Not on me. But I can still be more patient in the store. I'm going to try. I believe I can do this. I just need to be confident in my abilities. Embrace all the good stuff, and not hide from what I do wrong, and keep trying to fix it. Yup, I'm human, I make mistakes. Even as a parent. And it's ok.