{"id":1995,"date":"2018-04-03T06:00:31","date_gmt":"2018-04-03T11:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/amandamiddleton.me\/?p=1995"},"modified":"2021-07-01T22:47:47","modified_gmt":"2021-07-02T03:47:47","slug":"5-tips-to-become-a-perfectly-imperfect-parent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/amandamiddleton.me\/5-tips-to-become-a-perfectly-imperfect-parent\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Reasons Why Being a Perfectly Imperfect Parent Is Okay"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"5 Reasons Why Being a Perfectly Imperfect Parent is Okay\" width=\"1080\" height=\"608\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/HY-7q4vVK9I?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Don&#8217;t skip the 5 Reasons Why Being a Perfectly Imperfect Parent Is Okay! I cannot be alone in this, you have to join me.<\/p>\n<p>Being a mom can be tough! I mean tough! And on several occasions (let&#8217;s pick a nice name for it) &#8220;ugly mom syndrome&#8221; rears its ugly head. You know the kind&#8230;&#8230;.Or &#8220;diarrhea of the mouth mom&#8221;, you know, when you say things you may or may not mean, but you actually said them out loud. Or how bout &#8220;cranky yell machine&#8221; You know the kind, you yell at everything, because you are mom and you can and you are ya know&#8230;.. cranky!<\/p>\n<p>Let&#8217;s be honest, we all fall, have fallen or have thought about falling into these categories at least once in our mom career and if you haven&#8217;t&#8230;.. well, A) you are a liar or B) you are a liar!<\/p>\n<p>We are all human and if I have learned one thing while being a mother, that is the meaning of the word GRACE!<\/p>\n<h3>Grace<\/h3>\n<p><em>God has grace on mothers and all parents.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>There are some nights I go to bed thinking, &#8220;I know I have screwed them (my kids) up.&#8221; OR &#8220;Why, did I say that to them&#8221; OR &#8220;I am a horrible mother.&#8221;\u00a0We all do at one time or another!<\/p>\n<p>My goal as a mother is to make self-sufficient adults, as well as disciples out of my children and some days I SUCK at it! I mean, I really SUCK! I have been known to have fears of &#8220;screwing&#8221; them up so bad. I&#8217;ve feared they won&#8217;t be those lovely adults when they grow up. No one is perfect and we are all going to make mistakes or say things we don&#8217;t mean, more than likely to the people we love the most, our spouses and children.<\/p>\n<p><strong>So what do we do about it?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/amandamiddleton.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/5-Reasons-Why-Being-a-Perfectly-Imperfect-Parent-Is-Okay.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-32708\" src=\"https:\/\/amandamiddleton.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/5-Reasons-Why-Being-a-Perfectly-Imperfect-Parent-Is-Okay-683x1024.png\" alt=\"5 Reasons Why Being a Perfectly Imperfect Parent Is Okay\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2>5 Reasons Why Being a Perfectly Imperfect Parent Is Okay<\/h2>\n<p><b>1) We remember that NO ONE is perfect!\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p>We will never be the perfect parent and our kids will never be the perfect kids. So, why are we trying so hard to be? I will tell you why, because almost every article you read or social media post you see has some sort of perfectionism secretly lying in it. We are a generation of knowledge but, be careful what you read, things aren&#8217;t always what they seem. I can vouch for that!!!!<\/p>\n<p>Even though I want this blog to be as honest and real as ever, <a href=\"https:\/\/amandamiddleton.me\/when-your-depression-is-so-large-and-you-feel-so-small\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">I still fall into the &#8220;everything is fine&#8221; trap.<\/a> You know, when you are screaming inside but, you only let <a href=\"https:\/\/amandamiddleton.me\/secret-anxiety-motherhood-unsupported\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">people &#8220;in&#8221; on the surface<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Be careful what you read. Make sure it&#8217;s not on the surface, make sure it comes from the heart and is real, or better yet helps you come up with a plan. It shouldn&#8217;t leave you wanting to have a &#8220;I am a bad mom&#8221; pity party for yourself. It should help you come up with a solution, not leave you feeling worse about yourself.<\/p>\n<p><b> 2) We remember that God chose each of us to be the proud parents of these little people.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p>God chose us to be their parents. I am not saying that to put more pressure on you but, to show you that God thought you were &#8220;good&#8221; enough to be their mother. That is an honor!<\/p>\n<p>UPDATE: Alright, so don&#8217;t over think this one. I have already gotten emails and comments about this. <a href=\"https:\/\/amandamiddleton.me\/overcoming-through-grace-my-thoughts-on-the-shoutyourabortion-hashtag\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Yes, children are given to moms that don&#8217;t want them too but, I believe God has a path for those children, adults and parents too.<\/a> We need to help them with the path they choose to take. That is all I will say about that. You know where I was going with this, so LET IT GO!<\/p>\n<p><b> 3) We pray!<i>\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p>We pray through the infant stages and the teenage years. We pray through our own issues, like tempers and passiveness. We pray for protection over our children and ourselves as parents. We pray without ceasing for our kids and us as their parents.<\/p>\n<p><b> 4) We read the <\/b><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/1598567055?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creativeASIN=1598567055&amp;linkCode=xm2&amp;tag=amandmiddl-20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Bible<\/b><\/a><b>.<i>\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p>God put this <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/1598567055?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creativeASIN=1598567055&amp;linkCode=xm2&amp;tag=amandmiddl-20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">powerful book<\/a> here for us to use as a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/1598567055?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creativeASIN=1598567055&amp;linkCode=xm2&amp;tag=amandmiddl-20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">parenting manual<\/a>. We over look it some days and reach for the blog posts by our <a href=\"https:\/\/amandamiddleton.me\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">favorite bloggers<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/amandamiddleton.me\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Pinterest<\/a>,\u00a0or <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/1598567055?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creativeASIN=1598567055&amp;linkCode=xm2&amp;tag=amandmiddl-20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">parenting books<\/a> by some doctor that has never even had kids. Reach for the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/1598567055?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creativeASIN=1598567055&amp;linkCode=xm2&amp;tag=amandmiddl-20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Bible<\/a> first, you will be surprised how much parenting advice is in this <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/1598567055?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creativeASIN=1598567055&amp;linkCode=xm2&amp;tag=amandmiddl-20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">awesome book<\/a>! Pick it up and explore it, but, don&#8217;t let it overwhelm you.<\/p>\n<p><b> 5) We believe in ourselves!<i>\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p>This one kinda goes back to #2 but, is more of an encouragement for you. God knows I have my bad days, more than I can count honestly. When we found out my twin boys were coming, Chris and I went into panic mode and even though the boys are almost four, panic mode shows its ugly head some days. It is a familiar place to be for us. It&#8217;s not comfortable by all means, just familiar. So we fall into the trap or a &#8220;rut&#8221;. We fall into the &#8220;rut&#8221; of not believing in ourselves and not believing in the power of God. (Ouch, that was hard to type, but true!) Believe in yourself, no matter your circumstances. You may be a single mom, or a mom that is scared to death or a mom that can&#8217;t take the crying from your newborn baby anymore. No matter what category you fall into believe in yourself! Believe that you can do this! Because, guess what, YOU CAN!<\/p>\n<p>Parenting is the hardest job, EVER! Some days Chris and I are awesome at it and give each other huge pats on the backs, other days we suck at it and hide under the covers wondering what God was thinking when He dropped these three little beauties in our laps. Wherever you are in your parenting journey, please know your feelings are valid and that you are not alone. Others have gone through the same, whether they want to admit it or not.<\/p>\n<h3><a href=\"https:\/\/amandamiddleton.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/born-to-be-real.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-32993\" src=\"https:\/\/amandamiddleton.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/born-to-be-real-683x1024.png\" alt=\"5 Reasons Why Being a Perfectly Imperfect Parent Is Okay\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" \/><\/a>Your Feelings Are Valid<\/h3>\n<p><strong>YES, YOUR FEELINGS ARE VALID!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Pray through it and I promise God will be with you. Let him co-parent with you, He will never steer you in the wrong direction. You have got this mama! Don&#8217;t let the time you spend with your kids be <a href=\"https:\/\/amandamiddleton.me\/finding-joy-in-the-midst-of-the-storm\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">robbed of the joy you and your family deserve<\/a>. Enjoy them, with your flaws, their flaws and all! Don&#8217;t sweat the small stuff, LIVE! Live and make memories!<\/p>\n<p>And most of all remember the word, GRACE!<\/p>\n<p>Grace in the Merriam-Webster dictionary is defined as: the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings.<\/p>\n<p>Need I say more?<\/p>\n<p>God IS grace and merciful!<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p class=\"p1\">I would love to invite you to join my FB group,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/472455159631185\/\"><span class=\"s1\">The PurposeFULL Woman<\/span><\/a>, where we share, encourage, support and uplift each other. We share fitness tips, holistic living recipes and tips, business, anything and everything family and all the while giving you permission to be yourself.\u00a0We keep it real and share on a daily basis! If you would like to join,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/472455159631185\/\"><span class=\"s2\">head on over and ask to join us.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"bOobDR1Nc9\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/amandamiddleton.me\/being-different-can-make-you-feel-like-you-are-all-alone\/\">Being Different Can Make You Feel Like You Are All Alone<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;Being Different Can Make You Feel Like You Are All Alone&#8221; &#8212; AmandaMiddleton.me\" src=\"https:\/\/amandamiddleton.me\/being-different-can-make-you-feel-like-you-are-all-alone\/embed\/#?secret=bOobDR1Nc9\" data-secret=\"bOobDR1Nc9\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Don&#8217;t skip the 5 Reasons Why Being a Perfectly Imperfect Parent Is Okay! I cannot be alone in this, you have to join me. Being a mom can be tough! I mean tough! And on several occasions (let&#8217;s pick a nice name for it) &#8220;ugly mom syndrome&#8221; rears its ugly head. You know the kind&#8230;&#8230;.Or [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":32709,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[48,9,52,30,2,4,7,6,8],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v15.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>5 Reasons Why Being a Perfectly Imperfect Parent Is Okay<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Don&#039;t skip the 5 Reasons Why Being a Perfectly Imperfect Parent Is Okay! I cannot be alone in this, you have to join me! 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