Dear Darlings,

Sometimes I fail at this parenting thing so much my heart can’t handle the impact. Sometimes guilt weighs heavily on me…feeling like I failed at parenting you. Now is one of those times. What caused my feelings of failure is neither here nor there, at this point. It’s simply the fact that I failed, in some epic way, to impart a crucial piece of parenting advice. Your failure became, by default, mine

And my heart is in a million, tiny pieces, thinking about this failure of mine.

The thing is, all of you are so wildly different. What parameters and rules work for one of you, doesn’t necessarily translate to another. So with each of you, it’s back to square one, and learning all over again. Sometimes, it’s like trying to keep up with a three-ringed circus.  Zach, you can handle a hard hand and strict rules. Lucas, you need a little more gentle approach. And Claire, well, you basically parent yourself, coming to us with words of wisdom well beyond your years. But then the universe shifts a little and suddenly you need some other way of being parented, and I somehow missed that memo, so I failed you and my parenting test.

I know I shouldn’t feel like this. I know you kiddos are are blessed with free will. I know that, deep down inside, but sometimes I wish your free will would be damned and you would just bend to my will. I’m the mom, for heaven’s sake! I’m supposed to know what’s best, right? Except, in this instance, I didn’t know what was best and the pull of your free will was too strong for me.

And this got me to thinking…

Sometimes, I truly miss the times of diapers and cribs. That may have been the most physically taxing part of parenting you, but I knew where you were. I knew what you were doing. I knew when I put you in your cribs at night, you would be there the next morning. I knew I couldn’t fail you as long as I fed you, bathed you, comforted you and loved you. This time, right now, is more mentally challenging, more exhausting and far scarier than it ever was when you were babies. The stakes are incredibly high, it’s not just about feeding and loving, it’s about helping you to learn to navigate the entire world. Failures now come with a huge price tag. Diapers and cribs are a walk in the park.

But I guess sometimes I need to let you fail on your own to help you learn and grow. Sometimes, maybe, I enable you too much so you don’t fail when really you should. Sometimes, maybe the protective lioness in me comes out and I try to swipe away all those obstacles that would force you to learn and fail and thrive.

Just know, my sweet loves, that I never mean to fail you or this thing called parenting. Sometimes it just happens, but we’ll work together to find a resolution and a positive way forward. That’s what family is all about…failing, making mistakes, learning, forgiving and most of all loving.

xo,
Always,
Mom

oh, for the love of my children…