And then we moved to zone defense……

Raising kids with LOVE ♦ January 16, 2012 ♦ Leave a comment

I was proof that “mommy amnesia” exists when #3 Kaitlyn came along almost 2 years to the day after Kelsey.  The memories of a challenging first 3 months with Kelsey became fuzzy quickly, as often memories of challenging parenting moments do.  Once again our hearts “expanded” and overflowed with love for our new addition.

Kaitlyn has always been a “pleaser” and often did not stray too far from my leg when she was young.  Her first day of school was traumatic for us both as she cried outside her kindergarten classroom door not wanting to venture into the new environment.  Using all of my “wonderful” parenting skills, I resorted to “you have to go to school, it is the law!”….great job Mom.  I can thankfully say, that my blunder did not damage the wonderful kid she is today, a blossoming college junior on her way to becoming a wonderful elementary education teacher.  Hopefully she will be able to prevent another parent from using the wonderful first day of school line I did!

I learned numerous times that even when I knew all the “correct” things to say or do, sometimes it just didn’t happen. Beating yourself up because of parenting mistakes does more harm than good.  Loving unconditionally, admitting when you made a mistake and moving on is the best parenting tip I can give.

Take a breath, enjoy the joyful moments of each day, and remember you don’t have to be perfect to be the perfect parent.

Cindy