The Magic of Parents

If you are anything like me and my husband you had THE BEST PARENTS. You looked up to them. You thought they could do no wrong. One or both of them were or are your hero. They were perfect. They were MAGIC. When you needed something they were there. A hug, a bit of advice, cloths, food. Most everything you could need and some of what you want. That's not to say there weren't things you could point out that they didn't get exactly right, you just don't really remember those things.

Now for a bit of news about these wonderful people we call mom and dad. If you have kids you have now figured this out for yourself... if you don't when you get kids this will be your "ah ha" moment. YOUR PARENTS ARE NOT EVEN CLOSE TO PERFECT. How do I know this. I am a parent. My husband is a parent. We screw it up DAILY. That is not to say I think we are doing a bad job. Just that I know when I've messed it up. I yell, I get mad, I get annoyed, I get stressed. Sometimes I want to run away. 

Dylan was a WONDERFUL baby. He rarely cried. He was happy. He didn't demand a lot of you. I was DEPRESSED for the first year of his life. Things were not going well for David and I. We were not making great choices for ourselves let alone for a family. I wanted OUT. But I stuck it through and things started getting better.

Paige was a pretty easy kid. She was sweet. She did her own thing as a toddler. She was a great solo player. I BROKE MY LEG when she was 4 months old and one week before Dylan's 5th birthday. It seemed like every time things get good for David and I something comes along and knocks us back down.

Joy is a JOY. She is sweet, funny, ACTIVE, smart, and my goodness HIGH MAINTENANCE!!! This kid is all up in my business ALL day EVERY day. For someone that requires a ridiculous amount of personal space and down time to myself this child is a challenge. 

I love all my kids to pieces. I couldn't imagine my life without them. They help me grow and make me be a better person because I want so much for them. I hope my kids think I am as perfect as I think my parents are! I don't really know where or what my parents think they got wrong. I know what they tried to do to get it right. I don't know if they think they were successful or not. I do know that they were probably as insecure as I am about how I am doing at this most important job. That they questioned all the time if they were doing the right thing for everyone. I know that they probably struggled with guilty feelings about being at work to much or giving one kid more attention over another. 

None of us are perfect as parents, but we sure hope we do a good job. But just so you know in the eyes if your kids you are perfect. You are wonderful. You are mom and dad and they will remember what you did right. And you have the magic that makes this happen because you care and your kids will love you even when you mess it all up and they are teenagers and they think they know everything and you are stupid for not agreeing with them... because the day will come when they have to admit you were right because you went through all this too and survived.