Mommy Guilt

     As a parent I am CONSTANTLY feeling guilty. Things like "I only gave KJ one serving of vegetable for the day...and it wasn't organic" or "I left KM's carrots all over her face for nap time" make my chest tighten. My favorite is when I lay down at night and I forget that I haven't given the girls a bath in two (okay, sometimes three) days...I seriously contemplate waking them up to bathe them! Of course the worst is when I lose my cool and yell. Full-on orangotang crazy. Jumping, pulling my hair, yelling. I always feel like crap afterwards. What kind of example am I setting for them? These kids are my world, I want to do everything I can to ensure a happy and healthy childhood. I want to set a good foundation for their life. We are raising these children to go out into the world and succeed, to fly on their own, and hopefully make this world a better place. You only get one chance! 

DON'T SCREW IT UP. 

(NO PRESSURE, RIGHT?!)

     Well guess what Court (yeah, I'm talking to myself), you will never be a perfect parent. You will make mistakes. Your kids will see you cry, they will see you lose your temper. BUT as long as you try your hardest and parent out of love those girls will be okay. If anything they will realize their parents ARE human. So everyone out there struggling with "Mommy Guilt" (or "Daddy Guilt") take a deep breath. Hug your kiddos. Feed them their fruits and veggies but don't give yourself a hard time for tossing them a cookie for breakfast every once in awhile. Read them books. Let them play in the bath until their fingers look like prunes. Act goofy, count to 10 when you're upset, take them to church, apologize when you screw up. And tell them "no" even if it means a temper tantrum from hades will ensue. LAUGH A LOT. Parenting is messy. I swear if I didn't laugh at half the crap that happens on a daily basis, I'd cry. A lot. Most importantly, don't take yourself too seriously. Yes it is a serious job, an important job, but if we get too uptight and too hard on ourselves we will miss the good stuff. We'll be too overwhelmed with the messy face to appreciate the fact that the pureed peaches actually gave her a goatee! (Now take out the camera and snap a photo!) And most of all, cut yourself some slack for crying out loud. As long as you love your kids and put them first, things will fall into place. YOU ARE DOING A GREAT JOB!

(I think this was a pep talk for myself. One I have needed lately!)