Hey World... My kids make mistakes !!!

I have learned something about myself recently.

           As a parent I tend to get wrapped up in my children's mistakes. I take responsibility for them, I feel bad about them, and I take it all personally. I forget that they make mistakes to learn, just like I do. Mistakes are not bad things, they are part of life and they are the best teachers. I realized this past week that it's not about me, I need to stand back and let the natural effects of mistakes and consequences take place. I can be there to talk it through and love my children despite their mistakes.

       As a child I remember feeling stupid when I made a mistake. I remember feeling like I needed to be perfect and I just wasn't. I even assumed that I wasn't worth loving because I wasn't perfect. Most of the time when I made a mistake and got in trouble I would think things like "why do I even try" "maybe I should run away" "I should just give up now cuz I'm never gonna make it".  It's important to me that my kids don't feel like giving up on life when they make mistakes. It's part of life and it's an important part of life. All of the real lessons I have learned in my life have been a result of one mistake or another. I tend to beat myself up when I make mistakes which is a natural reaction I think for most people. The real question I forget to ask myself is this - What did I learn and how will I do it differently next time? I also forget to ask my kids that. I always tell them that I love them and that I love them no matter what mistakes they make.

        On this last incident with Kelani, I found my self being angry at and hurt by her because of how it made me feel and how I might look to someone else(?)!  Well guess what... IT's NOT ABOUT ME!!! I don't have to allow myself to be embarrassed when my child is living and learning. And if someone wants to judge me because of the choices or mistakes my kids make, Well I feel sorry for them because they don't get it. We are supposed to make mistakes. It's part of life, if it were possible to achieve perfection in this life, there would be no need for the Atonement.  Jesus Christ was the only man who ever lived who didn't make any mistakes. What in the hell was I doing thinking I could be perfect or expecting for one second for my kids to make all the right choices.

    Sometimes I just need a smack upside the head  - even if it is from myself.
Thanks for reading, I hope my mistake can help you in some way. It has opened my eyes a little wider.