When did we put expectations to be the perfect parent on our shoulders?
We live in a world of constant demands. We feel pressure to make sure that our children attend the right schools, play the right sports, that our homes are organized, the meals we cook are healthy and that we are exercising enough. Then there’s pressure to maintain a healthy marriage and pursue interests outside of our families. We want to pull our hair out! The expectations we put on ourselves are completely unrealistic.
I have been a pediatrician for over 30 years, and that’s the sentiment I hear over and over–that parents do not feel “good enough,” do not feel that they’re measuring up to the pressures they put on themselves.
Raising small humans into adulthood is important, arguably the most important job you have, but it was never meant to be accompanied by the constant questions of “Am I messing up my kids?” and “Why can I never measure up to the type of parent I want to be?”
My message to you–to parents everywhere and through all generations–is this: relax.
You are already good enough.
You are already wired with everything you need to be a good parent.
Release the weight upon your shoulders to do more, and just be. Be with your kid
Tap into the gifts and passions that you uniquely possess to love them and teach them.By simply spending time with your children, emphasizing to them how highly you think of them, and communicating your love, you are doing your job–and you are doing it well.
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