Remember To Celebrate Those Small Parenting Victories

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The past few weeks have been really challenging. I’ve been sick since the beginning of December, the holidays drained my account, frigid cold temperatures have kept us inside and my daughter is getting restless.

As a result I have been really irritable and much less productive than usual and because of this I’ve been kind of hard on myself. Times like this never fail to remind me how difficult parenting truly is, as if I could ever forget.

That’s when I started to think that the best thing to do right now is to take a step back and realize that I am doing a lot more than I give myself credit for.

A parent’s day is often filled with jobs that receive little to no appreciation or praise—keeping everyone well fed, house tidy, bills paid, children scrubbed clean, homework done and if you do a real good job, the family amused.

Why look to others for that pat-on-the-back you feel you deserve? This past month has taught me that if I want to keep doing my job (almost) up to my standards then I need to celebrate my own little victories.

It’s important to take the time to stop and reflect on what’s been accomplished, even if it’s something as simple and every day as getting your child dressed. Stop to know that your child is dressed because you earned the money to buy those clothes, you worked hard to clean them, fold them and put them away and you took the time to select a suitable outfit and help them dress. That’s quite the accomplishment!

While I may feel like a slacker in the parenting department as of lately, I guess if I really think about it, I’ve actually been doing a pretty good job!

So tonight I will be rewarding myself by taking the time to grab a book, a green tea and have a bubble bath tonight, undisturbed, no children allowed. And after I pack lunches and school bags I might reward myself with a couple Hershey’s kisses.

Have you taken to the time to celebrate small parenting victories today?

Comments

  1. Sometimes, we are so hard on ourselves as parents. It is very important in those moments where we’re looking at all we feel like we failed out to remember everything that we’ve succeeded at no matter how small because each victory is still victory nevertheless.

  2. Having read this I believed it was very enlightening. I appreciate you spending some time and
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    But so what, it was still worth it!