What a perfect day to present Mothers #3!

Perfection in Parenting

After Mothers #1 was published earlier this week a comment was posted by Julie from APlaceforThoughts.com.  Julie was worried about failing at her work as a mother, comparing herself to her father who had to raise her on his own and had done a great job in her estimation.  In the course of that conversation I came up with the above quote to try to assure her that it wasn’t about perfection in parenting, it was about love in parenting.

The thing is, kids are looking for love, not perfection.  If you are supporting them and encouraging them and guiding them, they don’t really care if you are good at math, or able to run a marathon or make a million dollars a year. And if you do do all those things but don’t show them love, they don’t really care much about those accomplishments either.

Love Over Limitations

We all have our limitations in physical capabilities, emotional strength and intellectual prowess.  One mother is missing an arm and a leg.  Another never graduated from high school. A third is fragile emotionally.  But none of that matters if they make the decision to deliver love to their children as best they are able.  That is what the child will remember. That is what the child will pass on to their children.

Don’t expect to deliver perfection in your parenting. Expect to deliver love.

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Drawing, quote and commentary by Marty Coleman

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