Guess what, I am not a perfect mom. Nope, never have been, never will be. And here’s the irony in that – I remember countless prayers during my struggle with infertility that included this, “I promise I will be an awesome mom, totally amazingly awesome.” I guess I felt that if I promised to be awesome, it might convince the Powers That Be, to say, “oh, ok, that’s all you needed to say Sara.” So here I am, almost 4 years later, blessed with an awesome little lady, and totally not living up to my promises to be “totally amazingly awesome.”
One Day at a Time
Here’s the thing though, sometimes the days just feel long – like I’m literally fighting the fight – using bribery to convince my toddler to use the toilet and not her undies to go to the bathroom, cleaning up countless piles of crumbs and listening to the mind-numbing song “Let It Go” for the umpteenth time. And after that, I sometimes feel like a crazy zombie lady whose lost her brain and can’t talk in complete sentences. After I come out of my trance, I immediately feel terrible! Like, oh my gosh, I need to be a better, more perfect mom. Way more awesome, like I PROMISED!
No One’s Perfect
But here’s the deal, I need to let myself off the hook, right? No one is perfect and I am not a perfect mom. I know that I’m trying my hardest to teach my daughter how to be strong, independent, loving, funny, kind, generous and all-around awesome. I want her to know that it’s ok not to be perfect, no matter who you promised. I do this kind of teaching in a lot of different ways, but my favorite way is in the kitchen. Because it’s a place I love and it’s a place we’ve come to love together. She experiments and occasionally helps and all the while we’re chatting about things or pretending or just playing, and it’s awesome. The kitchen has become “our” place and I love that. Does she spill, create a huge mess or act crazy? Yes! Do I freak out? Sometimes, but it’s ok, because I’m not perfect, no one is!
So as I struggle with secondary infertility, I try to keep my promises of perfection to a minimum. I know I can’t promise that anymore and I know it’s not going to increase my chances of another special gift. Instead, I am going to celebrate all that I have, imperfections and all. I’ll keep doing the best I can, drawing hope and inspiration from my favorite little girl.
Kitchen Collaboration
And since I know many people out there are struggling with secondary infertility, I’ve included some awesome links from fellow dietitians about kids and cooking. Since the kitchen has become such a place of bonding for me and my little one, I want to encourage you to share it as a special place for you and your children. Use that time to learn more about each other and appreciate each other! It’s awesome what you’ll discover!
RDN’s Have Awesome Tips For Kids in the Kitchen
Four Reasons To Cook with Young Children by Jennifer McDaniel
Kitchen Helpers – How to Cook with Kids by Elizabeth Shaw
14 Ways Our Editors Get Their OWN Kids To Eat Healthy by Breana Lai
The Easiest Recipe to Get Kids in the Kitchen by Elana Natker
5 Quick, Easy & Healthy Lunch Ideas by Jessica Fishman Levinson
Featured image courtesy of Pixaby
