Look to ME for Inspiration?

A few days ago, a dear reader left a comment on a post mentioning that she looked to me for inspiration on parenting. Yesterday another reader brought up the topic of mentor-ships. While I am humbled and flattered to be held in such regard, I also can't help but think, "Me? Really?! Surely, there have got to be hundreds of better examples of parents." I look around my dirty, disorganized house and reflect on my life and think, "Surely people should hope to set the bar a little higher than this."

Not spanking, respecting children, giving them freedom over their education and lives does not a good parent make. These things should be the baseline for decency, in my opinion.

I still struggle not to yell. I struggle to assume the best of the boys in each situation. I struggle to make time for connection each day. I struggle to provide decent meals. I struggle to keep the house clean enough not to be condemnable. I struggle to stay patient. I struggle to put all the great information I read about communication into practice. I struggle every single day in just about every way imaginable. And I very often fail.

I hate struggling. I am human, and I desperately wish for an easy solution, but there is none to be found. As hard as it may be, I continue to strive to be a better parent every day. My kids deserve nothing less. I, as a mother, deserve the joys of a peaceful relationship with them as well. I will never be perfect. I will never be the ideal mother. There will always be ways for me to improve and do better, and so every day I will struggle to do better by my children.

If you want to look to me for inspiration, please, look only at this. Take only the fact that I want to do better each day and leave the rest.