The Humble Lessons of "Just a Little Bit Not"

Recently, I had myself a day WAY up there in the category of wild...

Truly, it's amazing how you can learn a lesson and have it drive so deeply into your heart one minute and then just forget all about it the next...

If you hadn't guessed it, that was me the other day...the forgetful one!

Basically, it all went down pretty hardcore...

Try as I did to mold everyone's thoughts, feelings, and actions to my desires, 

I could not make anyone adhere to my plan...

Can you imagine?!  

THE NERVE of these little ones, 

having their own minds!  

It must be wild from the eyes of my children to see me calm, cool, and collected one minute and crazy with impatience and frustration the next.  I'm sure it's confusing, and it's certainly not my goal, but sometimes it does happen and I do lose my cool.  

As my son put it to me when I apologized after one such moment:  

"You're 99.99% an amazing mom and just a little bit not."  

How perfect is that?!  My wonderful son, who was trying to encourage me, I'm certain, summed it all up perfectly, if you ask me!  That 00.01% still hurts though!

So, let's talk discoveries here:

DISCOVERY #1 

It's not about perfection, 

it's about failing forward.

That's definitely one I've come to find much comfort in when it seems like "yet again" I've missed the mark.  I'd like to believe that I'm missing the mark a little less than, say, a year ago!  There's comfort in that, you know?

DISCOVERY #2

It is so vitally important for my kids 

to not only see me make mistakes, 

but to also witness how I handle them when they manifest.

As much as I want to be perceived as the perfect mom in my children's eyes.. to be the one that always encourages and supports and loves and has the perfect answers and wit and is just barrels of fun at all times, fact is, I will make mistakes.

.

But will I acknowledge my misgivings?

                                                   
                                                      Will I apologize?

Trust me, the last thing I want to do is acknowledge and apologize...
There's that part of me that wonders if I just say nothing, will the kids not notice and forget it ever happened?

I know, though, how important it is to show my kids how to respond when mistakes are made...I know that, not only will it allow them to cut themselves some slack when it's their turn to falter, but they'll also learn to take responsibility for it.

So think on this next time you're the one to make a mistake:

Mistakes do happen, 
fail forward, 
teach a lesson, 

and remember:


You're 99.99% awesome and just a little bit not!

Image by Davide Guglielmo via FreeImages