This One's for YOU, Imperfect MOMS - AuthorCynthiaHerron.com

Like many moms, I wanted to be the perfect mother.

I have quite an extraordinary mom myself and I envisioned what life would be like once I delivered my darling bundles into this big, beautiful world.

I embraced the notion of pouring myself into these new lives and I determined to be the best mother ever.

On my journey to perfectdom, I read books to glean all sorts of educational nuggets. I spoke to other mothers. I modeled my own mother’s attributes. I loved and nurtured my children to the best of my ability.

And yet—somewhere along the way, I realized how terribly overrated “perfect” really was. I learned perfect is a fallacy bolstered by creative marketing and stiff mindsets.

And you know what? Our son and daughter didn’t seem to mind that their mom wasn’t perfect.

Our kids didn’t need perfect. They needed real. They needed the “I’m trying” mom who was perfect for them.

So… I involved myself in the day-to-day stuff—the things we sometimes take for granted.

I served at school functions, though my cookies weren’t the prettiest, but still tasted delish.

I organized events that turned out well, despite my ineptness.

I volunteered my abilities such as they were.

I hopelessly and most obviously did imperfect well.

In our little community, many moms relished the role, and blessedly, we laughed at our fails and rejoiced at the wins.

Fast forward many years.

Our son’s now an educator. College gal’s studying nutrition and dietetics. Yaaay! Their dad and I did something right. We raised two fine human beings who’ve developed a work ethic and a sense of autonomy.

Sometimes, I reflect on our kids’ childhood years and I wonder if I’d said this or done that if it would have made a difference in their life course.

Imperfect moms tend to do this. We analyze fallibilities, mistakes, and missed opportunities and we judge our parenting against the world’s weighted perspective. It’s the mature mom, though still imperfect, who understands while our frailties may affect our kids’ motivations, ultimately, their own choices and decisions shape their future.