'Mistakes Will Be Made'

Being a mom doesn't mean being superhuman. It's just being human. And when you're human, as I so often tell students and clients who are learning a new approach to parenting, 'mistakes will be made.' I think I tell other parents this so often because I need to hear it.

Parenting is a challenging path, and we will all have rough and confusing times. Late summer can be a hard time of letting go of summer and entering into the unknown of a new school year and possibly a new school, situation, friendships, teacher. Having a new baby or a newly school-aged child or a tween or teen or young adult can be hard, too. It's hard when a child is sick or struggling with anything we can't fix.

When you go through hard times and fall into less-than-idea parenting habits, remember to join me in making peace with yourself. We're all going to mess up, whether it's because our kids' temper catches us at a rough moment, because work is unsettling, because someone we love is struggling, because the hot weather is taking a toll. . . When we mess up, let's stop and treat ourselves with gentle kindness. When we see our friends and enemies and teachers and other people mess up, let's try to do the same thing, be kind and generous.

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