Don't Sweat the Small Stuff!

Don't sweat the small stuff.  I know easier said than done!  In a day when social media is bombarding us with "perfect family photos", praises of a child's test scores and accomplishments, Pinterest projects gone wild etc. it is so easy to feel as though you are not making the cut as a mom/dad.  Trust me you will not look back on your child's early years and remember the clean house, the healthy balanced meals made from scratch every day or the perfectly matching clothes etc.  You will remember the fun, the laughs and the quality time you spent together.  That is not to say that the above mentioned are not important, they just should not be how you judge yourself as a parent. To quote a good friend who has an adult child, "All the times I was so worried about making everyone happy and looking like a good mom....Making sure my house was clean, the cupboards were perfect, my child looked perfect... to be honest I don't remember any of those times.  I remember the quality times I spent with my son.  I remember most getting dirty outside and playing  and realizing I wish I would have taken advantage of more of those days."

I often try and ask myself, what my children will remember about the day?  The fact that I ran out of milk? That the floor was not vacuumed?  That I lost my temper?  Or will they remember sitting around the dinner table and laughing?  Staying up past bedtime to finish playing a game?  My helping them with their homework? Attentively listening to my son tell me about his bad day?  I certainly hope they do not judge me on the cleanliness of the house or that every so often they have to pick a pair of dirty socks out of the laundry.  It is my children's opinion that matters, not other peoples.  I guarantee that for every picture perfect family facebook post there are 5 others that did not make the cut for one reason or another.  We are not perfect, our children are not perfect, so give yourself a break.  Enjoy them when they are little, get dirty with them, play with them, give them structure, security and love and you will be the perfect parent!