7 Reasons Why It's Okay to Make Mistakes as a Parent ...

Some of life’s best lessons come from making poor choices. How else will a new mother know not to trust little Johnny with a jar of markers? Oh yeah! Those things just became the medium for the new wall mural in your dining room while you were busy on the phone. Hey, some people pay good money to have an abstract piece of art in their house. You just got one for free. At least this time is was washable markers. I promise you won’t make the same mistake with permanent. That’s just one of the reasons why its okay to make mistakes as a parent.

No, really, everybody is making mistakes. The mom across the street just let her kids walk out the door without brushing their hair or teeth. This mom right here forgot to put the tooth fairy money out the other night. The dad down the block fed his kids hot dogs two days in a row. So, maybe some of these aren’t mistakes. Maybe sometimes we pass on perfection just to get by or to avoid a tiresome fight, but in all honesty all parents screw up from time to time. Don’t believe me? Ask your friends or better yet ask your parents.

Have you ever burnt dinner? Ha! I’m a pro at burning dinner. My daughter pretends to like extra crispy bacon. Maybe it’s because she’s too hungry to wait for me to make it right or maybe she just knows the next batch will come out soggy. Either way she seems happy and well fed and of course I will always try again, because, you know, that kid has to eat every day.

In case you forgot, you didn’t become superhuman just because you grew a tiny person in your uterus and then gave birth. No, unfortunately you are still just a normal human. Although you may have many great talents and skills, none of them make you perfect which means you are going to mess up every now and then. Get over the fear of making a mistake and start living life. Your kids need you to have fun.

Could you imagine living in a world where it was never okay to color outside the lines, where crying over spelt milk was necessary because the punishment to come was unbearable? If you hold yourself to some unrealistic level of perfection, your children are likely to feel that pressure of high expectation in their lives too. Don’t hide your faults and uh-ohs from the kids. Let them see how you have messed up and how you have come back from those moments.

Really, mistakes are just another part of living. Sometimes they are a suckier part of life, like when you forget to send your kid to school with lunch money for the second day in a row or when you lock your keys in the car and don’t have a spare set.

The one thing about mistakes is it keeps you trying harder. Hopefully, you don’t just mess up and give up. Kids need to see how we can make mistakes and try again. Kids need to see the hard work it takes to get a job done. As adults and parents we need to remember it’s not about never falling; its about getting back up every time we fall.

What are some mistakes you have overcome as a parent? What would you tell a new mom or dad that is afraid of messing up and screwing up their kid because of it?