Yet I can’t shake this nagging feeling of guilt that I’m not doing enough. RELATED: I Love My Kids, But I Regret Being A Mom If my daughter had it her way, I would be her playmate at all hours of the day. We would be playing dress-up and racing cars on the same day in her made-up world. If my partner had it his way, I would be this superstar preschool teacher, and our almost 3-year-old daughter would already be reading and writing. She can barely keep eye contact with a book for longer than 30 seconds. If society had it their way, I would be this amazing children’s healthy chef and only allow my daughter to watch a minimal amount of cartoons on TV. Unfortunately, that’s not how the world works and we just have to do the best we can with what we’re given. My reality:
I can’t play for more than 10 minutes straight without trying to find a distraction because it’s just not for meI’m not motivated to sit and do teaching time with my little girl because let’s face it, does she really need that yet?I pull together quick meals for my daughter and do the best I can to convince her to eat vegetables, but sometimes I just give upI do let her watch cartoons, definitely a lot more than I should, but I just need a freaking break — every day as it so happens.
So, I’m left with this feeling that I’m not doing enough. That I’m an inadequate parent. Unfortunately, I don’t really have a solution to this predicament. Most days I just spend time convincing myself it’s okay and everything will be okay. It usually works and sometimes it doesn’t. RELATED: Why Distracted Parenting Has Become The Hardest Part Of Being A Working Mom Does anyone relate? I sure hope so. In the spirit of convincing myself everything is okay, here are some things I think I am doing well:
I try to create as loving of an environment for her as possibleI give her lots of hugs and praiseI do my best to help her understand her emotionsI support her to be independentI take care of what she needs as best I canI try to create exciting and joyful moments with her (we call them surprises)I give her a healthy dose of freedom to explore
When I look back at that list, I suppose I’m not doing so bad at all. RELATED: For The Love Of God, Stop Asking New Moms These 7 Questions Megan Llorente writes about motherhood, relationships, and entrepreneurship. She also offers coaching support for women going through a multitude of life journeys as a Professional Certified Coach (PCC). Learn more at yourmoderncoach.com. This article was originally published at Medium. Reprinted with permission from the author.
