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Parenting Styles: You Don’t Need to Be Every Parent

There are many types of parenting styles and many types of mothers.

There’s the sporty mum who is always out kicking a ball with her child, the arty mum who spends hours covered from head to toe in paint with her child, the mum who never misses a bedtime story and whose children love to read because of this, the mum who always crafts up the best costumes, the mum who cooks everything from scratch with her little helpers.

There’s the mum who actually seems to enjoy imaginary play, the mum who is always a yes to board games, the mum who is knee-deep in creeks with her kids, the mum who has done every science experiment with her children, and the mum who throws the best ever birthday parties.

There are endless types of mothers. Aren’t they amazing?

You Don't Need to Be Every Parent

It can be easy to look at another mother and see all the awesome things they do with their kids and wish that you could be more like that. Don’t kids all need someone who reads a lot of stories, and plays games with them, and also makes art, and does weekly science experiments, and throws birthday parties they’ll never forget?

You want the truth?

No.

They actually don’t.

What they need is you. A unique mother just for them. Who is good at some things and not so good at others. What a boring place the world would be if we all did everything perfectly and our children all had the same kind of mother. Goodbye originality.

You Don't Need to Be Every Parent

You can open your phone at any moment and see many different parenting styles. You can see mothers excelling all over the world. But none of them are excelling at everything. They are excelling in the things that light them up, the things they are good at, the things they enjoy. And that is fantastic!

We can be inspired by them, but we do not have to be them.

Chances are there are a lot of things you’re good at, but you are not good at everything. Your children will survive.

And what if the thing your children love is something that you’re not great at? Well, you’ll probably learn something! Or you’ll find someone else in their community who they can share that with because you do not have to be everything and everyone!

Let’s just stick to celebrating parents out there who are doing amazingly at the things they are good at without translating their success to expectations for ourselves.

You don’t have to be every type of mother. Children don’t need or want that. Be your own unique mix, lean into your strengths, and enjoy sharing that with your children.

You Don't Need to Be Every Parent

Comments

Ann
November 24, 2022 at 10:54 pm

Great post! We all want to do what is best for our kids — but we are human beings, who are not perfect, and we have limited energy.



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