I’m self-conscious about a lot of things. My weight, my looks, my 401k, my complete inability to make small-talk or a good cup of coffee. But one thing I’m not at all self-conscious about it my ability to be a good mom. I’m good at this gig.
And I’m willing to bet that unless you beat your kid or feed them dirt, you are too.
But why don’t all the good moms know how good they are? One of my friends on fb recently made a comment along the lines of “Does any mother ever feel good enough?!” What I wanted to reply was: “Yes, and you should too”, but I was intimidated by the chorus of “Of course not”s and “No mother ever feels good enough for her kids”.
What’s with the epidemic self-doubt in mom world? I know that self-consciousness is nothing new to women in our society, but the moms in my circle seem to have caught it particularly bad. It’s so sad to me the number of women in my life who spend more time questioning themselves than they do admiring their happy and healthy children (success!).
Of course there are days when I screw up, I don’t know what to say or do, I lose every shred of patience and poise, but I know that all of that is still encompassed within the definition of a good parent. Even when I’m tested to my very limits, I know that I’m good enough. And you should too.
Enclosed in this post is a big thank you to Sprout and Rosebud without whom I wouldn’t have this newfound confidence. It’s so nice to be able to pack away the insecurities for a bit.
Thoughts on this? How are the moms in your world?
