Embrace the joyful art of parenting just enough
We all aim to be the best parent we can. Even if it means bending over backwards due to the ridiculously high standards that we place upon ourselves that will ultimately always end in confidence-shattering guilt that we didn't do it good enough. But...
Read the latest column in our parenting series by local mum Kasey Simpson
We all aim to be the best parent we can. Even if it means bending over backwards due to the ridiculously high standards that we place upon ourselves that will ultimately always end in confidence-shattering guilt that we didn't do it well enough.
But what about parenting just enough?
Like yes, my children are dressed in clean clothes at the beginning of the day (how it looks within five minutes is not my responsibility), so does it really matter that they come from a pile of washing in my room that has been sitting there for a week? Does it really matter if the kids eat frozen dinosaur nuggets for dinner twice (or three times) a week? Does it really matter that the kids wear their clothes to bed or wear mismatching socks if we forgot to do the washing? Does it really matter if you put on the TV while you hide away for five minutes of peace?
I'm sure you all have your own secrets.
Parenting is the mystical art of trying to keep tiny humans alive and relatively well adjusted while keeping your own sanity intact. It's a journey filled with sleepless nights, big emotions and an endless supply of Shapes strategically stashed in every nook and cranny of your home.
As parents, we often find ourselves chasing an elusive ideal of perfection, but what if we embraced the joyous chaos of mediocre parenting instead?
In a world that idolises picture-perfect parenting, it's time we raise our sippy cups to celebrating our parenting shortfalls and the beauty of being comfortably good enough. Let's laugh in the face of perfection, give a high-five to the parents who accidentally packed their child's lunchbox with dog treats and salute those who've made it through an entire grocery store tantrum with their sanity (mostly) intact.
It doesn’t matter if it is 7am or 7pm, I bribe my children with chocolate every grocery trip in return for their good behaviour. What child psychologist made up the lie that bribes don’t work?!
Here’s to the parents who find cereal in their shoes, who answer to "Mummy, where do clouds sleep?" with a straight face and who consider surviving a trip to the shops with a stroller and a screaming toddler an Olympic-level achievement. Let's toast to embracing the mess, cherishing the chaos and raising our little humans with all the love we can muster – even if it means mastering the art of mediocre parenting along the way.
