The girl who did nothing perfect

What was the last thing you messed up?

I have no shame, so I’ll go first.

It was the three — yes, three — batches of pancakes I attempted to make this morning.

You’d think the Bisquick box recipe was fool proof. Well, I’m here to prove to you that idea is wrong.

I mean, who messes up three batches in a row?

raises hand

And I’ll have even more screw-ups to add to my list before you actually read this post.

There are two kinds of people in this world:

Group one says, “There’s no such thing as perfection.” They live in the moment, mistake after mistake.

Group two people spend way too much time and energy trying to get every single thing perfectly right — even though they know deep down it’s impossible.

As parents, we want our little people to be better humans than we are.

Our flaws as lessons to teach. And in those tiny moments when we see ourselves in them, we realize they’re the ones teaching us, whether we like it or not.

In our house, no one is perfect.

I once gave my son a list of things I am really horrible at — it was a long. One was geography.

“I don’t know where half of the states are. Your dad always makes fun of me for it.”

I want him to see that I embrace my mistakes. They’re a part of who I am.

My mistakes can be used as teaching moments to show him he doesn’t have to be perfect either.

I just want him to do his best.

Imagine what the world would look like if we all focused on that. The reality is, some days, that’s all we can do.

He told me he knows he should do his best but struggles when something doesn’t turn out exactly how he intended it to.

I get it. I have those moments, too. We all do.

Now, I embrace not knowing every answer.

I work with many very highly educated people. All of my peers have a bachelor’s degree. Some have their master’s or are working toward it. And many have earned their Ph.D. or Psy.D.

Several times a week, someone says something I don’t understand.

I don’t pretend like I know what they’re talking about.

The thing about admitting when you don’t know something?

Usually no one cares. And usually, if you’re lucky, you’ll learn something new.

If we thought about more things as imperfect but OK, that idea becomes a whole lot easier for us to handle.

The hard part — especially when it comes to parenting — is figuring out how to react in those moments.

We read The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes

If you’re thinking of trying something new, try imperfect. Say “I don’t know” more often. And try to get as close as you can to a carefree life.

I’m still trying…