How to be a Good Parent When You're Human?

For me, one of the hardest things about parenting is that you have to work at it all of the time! No matter what is going on in your life, your children need your energy and attention on a consistent basis, sometimes it seems like they have a need every other minute! I occasionally find it exhausting to fulfill so many demands, but for the most part, I genuinely enjoy the energy I put forth for my kids.

But then there are the times when you simply don't have enough to give. Let's face it, part of being human involves having human experiences, and some of them aren't so great! In every person's life, there are times of struggle, transition, confusion, and chaos. During these periods most of us want to stay in bed, or cry all day, or spend hours on the phone with a friend. But when you have a child waiting to be fed, or put to bed, or taken to school, you simply can't indulge in quite the same way. At these moments, I find myself wishing for a pause button; just a few minutes to regain my energy, before it needs to flow out again.

Obviously this handy button doesn't exist, so what's a parent to do? It can be so easy to underestimate your personal needs when you have children to take care of, but we mustn't ignore them altogether. Sometimes you have to cry, scream, lock yourself in your room, or all of the above! You can't simply put all the "hard stuff" on hold until your kids get older. Life unfolds at every moment, and we can't always flow gracefully through every twist and turn. But maybe that's okay.

Kids should understand that their parents also have emotions and that they don't always have the answers. If we can handle our emotions with honesty and respect, then our kids will learn to do the same. It's always better to teach by example, right?

You never know what is going on in someone else's life, but chances are that they are dealing with some form of struggle. So let's be gentle with ourselves and our fellow flawed humans. It's not always possible to be the perfect parent and simultaneously grow as an individual, but hopefully we can strive for a balance somewhere in between.