No Room For Comparison

Our first blog has been posted and shared, now what? There is so much more to learn about us and what we do. We hope that in getting to know us – we will get to know you. Our main goal is to know what is on your heart and mind. The parenting journey is by no means an easy one. However, when parents and caregivers come along side one another – the trying times can become much more bearable. The highs of the parenting journey are what most tend to share on social media and those moments are easily celebrated. On the flip side, there are moments when our “picture perfect” parenting is not so perfect. We tend to hide those times.  We may feel like we are not up to par with the parents whose kids seem to always behave well. Unbeknownst to us, they have days with epic fails too. Instead of hiding behind some ideal of who a perfect parent is – how about we get real and honest about what we struggle with? Let’s deal with real. Honesty and truth will always be relatable. We want to get to know other parents who deal with losing their patience at times, who don’t always have the “right” answer for their kids, or whose kids walk out of the house with breakfast barely eaten due to tantrums at the breakfast table. It’s time for us to break our walls down and take off the masks of perfection.

There is no perfect parent. It is only by God’s grace that we are able to carry on each day. We can turn to Him in moments of weakness to find strength for the journey. We are amazed that we have the opportunity to be stewards of the precious gifts called children. We can find our sufficiency in the Lord. We don’t have to seek to be like the mom across the street or the one with a clutter-free home on Instagram. We can rest in the fact that if we were blessed with these children – that it was on purpose for a purpose. Do you know that we can trust the Lord to give us what we need daily to do the best we can.? The journey of parenting is not always full of smiles and sunshine. Sometimes parenting can be described as weather patterns. Today may be sunny and the next day may be filled with a little rain. Parenting challenges us, grows us, inspires us, changes us, and teaches endless valuable lessons.

Our kids won’t remember how often the floor was vacuumed or if every meal consisted of the five food groups. They will remember how much we gave to them even when we weren’t at our best. They will remember the nights we held them because they were afraid. They will remember the moments in which we extended grace when they didn’t know they needed it. They will remember how much we loved them in spite of our own shortcomings. They will remember the countless times when you could have put yourself first, but you thought of them instead.

So, here’s to letting go of the facade and embracing the truth of our own reality. Our children will be better for it and so will we.