Mom-ageddon

Being a perfect mom…is there even such a thing? Pinterest wants us to think so. But I don’t buy it. Not anymore anyway. With my first child, I truly thought things had to be perfect. He was always well-dressed, clean, and had all the latest baby toys and gear. Then, the second baby came along unexpectedly. I had every intention of doing the same things with her, but there was less of me to go around. She was a little less perfectly dressed, maybe a little dirtier, and had all the hand-me-down toys and baby gear. I had to learn to let go of the perfection a little. Then, along came baby number three. That’s when the shit hit the fan. In just about every way possible. Her clothes rarely match, sometimes I completely forget to bathe her, and she plays with garbage and rocks. But guess what? All three of my kids are ok, healthy, and smart. AND the world is still spinning!

Over the years, I’ve come to terms with the fact that I can’t do it all, even though I want to. Nothing is perfect, no matter how bad I want it to be. And guess what? The world didn’t end and I am alive to tell you all about it. The world didn’t end when I used the 6-year-old Pack N’ Play and baby swing instead of buying a new one. Life went on even though the baby didn’t have a “new” Christmas dress but instead wore something from a garage sale. These are some other things, that to my surprise, DIDN’T cause the world to end.

Wrinkly Pants – My kids wear them pretty much every day. They just dig them out of the laundry basket where they have been sitting since the week before. Hey, at least they are clean! The world is still spinning. I’m even pretty sure they have friends despite the crumpled clothes.

Non-Pinterest-themed Birthday Parties – My kids are perfectly happy with paid for parties at the local movie theater or bowling alley. No handmade invites, cakes, or party favors here! AND they have just as much fun.

Mismatched Clothes – It’s just not worth the fight. I let my three-year-old wear pretty much whatever she wants (within reason). A pink floral shirt, black striped pants, and two mismatched socks…why not. Leotard? Sure thing! She may look like a freak, but she is happy an I’m not late for work. Win – Win.

Yellow School Bus – My kids ride the old, yellow school bus to school every day. They also stand OUTSIDE at the bus stop and wait to be picked up. I wish I could drive them to school every day, but it just isn’t realistic for our family. Amazingly, no one has died because of this.

PB & J – We eat it for dinner. A lot. It’s quick and easy and the kids will actually eat it. It could be worse, right? We are all still here to talk about it.

See? No earth-ending catastrophes or deaths. Everyone has survived the horror of my “less than perfect” parenting. At least so far. All I can do is my best. And I guess my best is subpar…but I can hope that sometimes I might just be perfect in my child’s eyes.

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