I wish I could tell you about that one time I lost my cool in front of my kids;
Or about that time I forgot to send in something important to my son’s school;
Or that time I was late picking my kid up.
I wish I could tell you about that “one time,” but, the truth is, there’s more than one time.
There are many, many times.
Because, I am a mom who makes mistakes.
I am a mom, who scrambles to get her kids ready.
I am a mom, who is often flustered.
I am a mom, who tries hard but often falls short.
I am a mom, who makes mistakes.
But, I am also a mom who strives to be better.
I am a mom who does the best she can for her kids.
I am a mom who is learning to accept that it is OK to be imperfect.
I am a mom who can forgive herself for her mistakes.
Moms make mistakes, we mess up, we do things we aren’t proud of.
And, we beat ourselves up because, when it comes to the role of caring for children, we don’t want to be anything less than perfect.
So, we set ourselves up to the highest standards. We try to meet impossible expectations.
We think our best is never good enough.
But, as moms, we will fail.
We will mess up over and over.
Because, being a mom means making mistakes.
But, it also means forgiveness.
It means seeking forgiveness from our children when we have wronged them, and it means finding the strength to forgive ourselves.
No mom is perfect, all of us mess up, over and over again.
However, the thing I notice about the moms I admire — whether they are just starting out, or have been at it for many years — is that they seem to accept their imperfection, can admit when they are wrong, and are able to find peace within themselves.
I am still working on achieving that level of acceptance.
But, I will start by saying I am a mom who makes mistakes.
And, I a mom who can forgive herself.
This post originally appeared on Maybe I’ll Shower Today