Good Parents Have Bad Days And That's OK

Sometimes, when you're a parent, it's unbearably hard. Some days are awful. You're tired, they're tired, you have no patience, they cannot be reasoned with and it's just bloody awful. You shout too much and you're not patient enough and you feel like a bit of a shitty mum.

That's how I felt today. I was feeling proper miserable about what a crappy mum I'd been. Then I looked at these pictures.

We've all got them. Pictures of days when we weren't grumpy (perhaps only for the duration of the photo, but that's still a win!) Pictures that make you realise that your lot, your snot soaked, sleep deprived, love drenched lot, is a pretty great one. And if you've had a bad day, or a bad week, or a bad month, it's ok. Being a mum is hardcore. It's relentless and tiring and patience trying. But if you worry that you're not a good enough mum, then probably, you are a good enough mum. The very fact that you worry about your mum credentials means you are a good mum.

The only opinion we should take to heart on our parenting skills is that of our kids. My Daisy is brutally honest. She doesn't hold back. When I put her to bed tonight, she put her long gangly arms around my neck, squeezed me as tight as can be, and said 'I had a lovely day mummy.' She had a lovely day, all the while I thought I was being an awful mum.

We're our own harshest critics. We should back off from being so hard on ourselves. We should be kind to ourselves, and each other, and put those expectations down. If you're a parent and you've had a bad day, repeat this mantra to yourself: good parents have bad days. And that's ok.