raising two young kids. I always admire
how much time she spends just cuddling
with them. I’ve always wished I had
done better with that. Not that I never
cuddled them. I’ve just never been good
at relaxing and always had trouble sit-
ting still.
The point I’m trying to make is that
each and every mom is wonderful in her
own ways. No two moms are alike —
and none of us is perfect. In fact, always
striving to be a perfect mom, which is
unattainable, can undermine being the
best moms we can be. When we become
focused on perfection and comparing
ourselves to those we see as ideal moms,
we lose sight of what’s most important.
In fact, when we expect perfection
from ourselves, without realizing it, we
often come to expect perfection from
our kids, because having perfect kids is
necessary to the facade of being a per-
fect mom. That’s not only unrealistic,
it’s unhealthy for our kids because it
teaches them to be perfectionists. They
also fail to learn self-acceptance.
So am I saying we shouldn’t try to
be better moms? Of course not. What
I’m getting at is moms need to rec-
ognize their own strengths and value
themselves for who they are. While
striving to improve your weaknesses,
don’t expect perfection, and practice
self-forgiveness and self-acceptance.
Rather than shooting for an unobtain-
able goal, just focus on being the best
mom you can be.
But despite the imperfections of ev-
ery mom, there’s one thing moms of all
ages and generations have in common.
It’s true, ideals and parenting meth-
ods change over generations as society
evolves, new knowledge is gained, and
information becomes more and more
accessible. But two things have and will
always remain constant — a mother’s
deep love and unfailing devotion to her
kids — and the insurmountable value
of moms to their kids throughout their
lives.
Kimberly Blaker is a freelance parent-
ing and lifestyle writer. She also does
B2B and B2C writing and is an expert
in on page SEO. Find her at kimberly-
blaker.com.
May 2019 WNY Family 9