Celebrating Parenting Success

Most of the time, parents of small children feel like failures... at least a lot of the ones I know and can talk with candidly. I know I feel like I'm coming up just a little short most of the time. Whether it's because we're eating chicken nuggets for dinner or I lost my temper and yelled or Mac is once again without socks because he hates them, there are just so many moments that make it feel like I don't measure up to what a parent is supposed to be pulling off.

I think some of this comes from the way we curate our existence on social media; the way every other person looks like they have the perfect life according to the photos and inspirational quotes they post. Some of it comes from being the type of personality that wants straight As every time no matter what so help me God and is still working on being ok with being imperfect. I also think parenting is just much harder than anyone realizes it will be when they're a few months pregnant and gazing at Pintrest nurseries.

Before this gets too dark and I spiral into a snow-induced depressive state, I'm actually writing today's post to take a moment to celebrate. This past weekend, my husband was out of town and I was on kid duty from Friday through Monday. No school on Friday, so that's three full days plus one up-and-out day. And I kicked ass. I know loads of parents do this all the time (and I do too) but not usually as gracefully, calmly, and cheerfully as I did this time. My kids are beginning to turn a corner (they're 2 and 4) and while tantrums happened, Cheerios were thrown, and injuries were sustained, they can bounce back and are actually fun to be around. They worked together nicely on puzzles this weekend, we delighted each other with weird games, and Beatrice even volunteered to make up stories in the car to entertain her brother. There were tense moments, but I'm most proud that I used all my teaching and parenting tools and never got frustrated. We are all growing and gaining skills, and despite our tendency to focus on shortcomings and what skills need work, celebrating success is just as important to stay sane and happy.