Was I Enough Today?

At the end of each day, I struggle with many questions that surface my mind. I question my parenting for the day, and what I could have done differently. I think we all do because we are trying to figure out if we were "good enough".

I ask myself...
Did I do enough with them?
Did I feed them enough?
Did I kiss them enough?
Did I hug them enough?
Did I say I love you enough?
Was I patient enough?
Did I play with them enough?
Did I spark their imagination enough?
Did I read enough books with them?
Did I make the right decisions?
Did I talk to them enough?
Did I teach them enough?
Was I a good example for them today?
Did they feel loved enough?
Did the good out weigh the bad?

Let's face it, as a parent we want the whole day to be perfect - but it's pretty impossible. Someone will have a meltdown over their socks not being on properly, or they will argue every ten minutes over each and every toy they own. Things won't be perfect but you have to remind yourself that it's the norm in every family - even if we do not see it. Scrolling through social media you see all these picture perfect families, and it can take a toll on your thoughts. You see the family that is constantly traveling from London to Hawaii, and you instantly start thinking about how you wish you could take your kids on many vacations as well. You see the mom that makes all these cool and healthy snacks for their children, and you start to try and figure out just how you can do the same. You see the home schooling mothers who spend all their energy on making lesson plans so that their two year old can read at the kindergarten level, and you start to wonder if you should be teaching them the same things too.  Family game night won't be as fun as you expect it to be, and that's okay, let them get bored after ten minutes into the game and just wing it. You tried! Your youngest will get upset that his painting didn't come out as cool as his older brothers, that's fine... he won't remember this moment for the rest of his life. You didn't get to practice their reading for the day.. tomorrow is another day to give it a shot.

We instantly get caught up in all the negative that happened through out the day and forget about the good. How you made them laugh through out the day, how you cuddled with them and watched a video on youtube together, how they helped you with the laundry and felt so proud of it. How they came over to you randomly through out the day to hug you and tell you they loved you. How you guys went through all the snap chat filters together and laughed hysterically together. All these amazing moments that happened in the blink of an eye are the ones we must remember at the end of the day - to help us recognize that today was a good day, not perfect - but not bad either.

The simple fact that we worry that we weren't good enough just means we are doing our very best, and have them in mind always, as number one. So if you feel you didn't do "good enough" today we can get up tomorrow and try all over again to be super mom. No matter what we will find something that didn't go as planned - but it won't take away the fact that we love them with everything we've got. A day does not have to be perfect to be a good day, just like a mom does not have to be perfect to be a good one.