NAVIGATING UNMET EXPECTATIONS IN MOTHERHOOD
Originally published by Blessed Is She
A few months ago, I overheard my daughter Kristen talking over the phone with her friend. She beamed as she relayed how I had accepted her not-so-good grades with calm and composure. She explained that she was expected to work hard and give it her best shot, but that it was okay if things didn’t turn out the way she’d hoped for.
That felt good. But it wasn’t always this way!
When Kristen began pre-school, I felt compelled to see her succeed. The impulsive perfectionist within me believed success in school meant success in life. But all through kindergarten, Kristen couldn’t hold a pen nor read or color as a child her age should. I panicked. I worried. And I beat myself up.
Why isn’t she like the other kids? What’s wrong with me?
A recent survey revealed that 60% of 13,000 moms interviewed experienced deep guilt in the first year of parenthood. The pungent idea of “not enough” in our earn-your-way-up culture has a well-intentioned way of saying, “Life is hard, but you’ve got this because you’re a strong independent woman.”
While that may seem uplifting to women, it is not the full truth.
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