Note: If you’re a perfect mom, then this article is not for you. For the rest of us, a perfect-mom-o-meter is likely nowhere to be found.
Let’s be real: As moms, we mess up. And for some, it’s quite a lot. It’s like motherhood is a roller-coaster: we ride the ups and downs with elegance and humor. But then there’s those times when we forget our seat-belts and… fall off.
It can be an ugly fall – one in which we’re splattered on the floor, only to look up and see our children staring at us with a not-so-happy expression. We note that expression, and it’s then we painfully realize we made a mistake in motherhood. A mommy mishap.
1. You forget School Picture Day.
Even with a ton of school reminders, some of us still forget. Like me, for example. Two years in a row, actually. One year my younger son wore a shirt with the following words displayed in a big font: My Aunt is my favorite. The next year on Picture Day, he wore a bright-colored tee that read: This shirt is my Halloween costume. To date, these are some of my most favorite pictures. Life can be funny like that – and you just have to laugh.
2. The Tooth Fairy can be just as forgetful as you.
This is not a fun mishap. In fact, panic sets in when the Tooth Fairy forgets to retrieve the tooth waiting patiently under your child’s pillow. This is your opportunity to get creative while problem-solving. I should know. Imagine my child’s joy when minutes after he discovered that his tooth was still under the pillow, there was a small treat outside his door. Apparently, the Tooth Fairy collects only some teeth, but gives rewards for all of them. Who knew?
3. You sneak your child’s Halloween candy… and they notice.
There should be a survey done someday about what happens to Halloween candy after children collect it. Do they eventually eat it all? Or, do they pick out their favorites and then toss the rest? At our house, I let my children select one candy from their bag each day. And so, as the duration of the candy bag is extended for weeks at a time, sometimes I just cannot resist the urge to sneak a Snickers® bar from the huge candy collection. Of course, I don’t know my son has counted ahead of time how many Snickers there are in his bag – and is keeping track. Note to self for next year. The dark chocolate Hershey bars might be less noticeable.
Ed. note: The Halloween prank these parents played on their kids makes swiping a few pieces of candy look like a much more forgivable offense 🙂
4. You accidentally embarrass your children.
Did you know that mothers can embarrass their children, without even knowing? I notice this almost on a daily basis. Whenever I see a mommy lick her finger, for example, and then use it to scrub her son’s face, I doubt that the child is thinking, “Wow, I’m so grateful my mother is washing my face.”
5. You’re way too eloquent. Or not.
Although we’re super moms, we’re also human. And that means sometimes we say things we don’t intend – or that are misinterpreted by our little ones.
Case in point: I was talking with a friend on the phone, and she mentioned she was getting married. “SHUT UP, are you serious?!” I blissfully yelled, with my younger son in the room. Little did I know that a couple of days later, he would announce to people that his mother says the “S-H” word. I’m pretty sure those people are referencing a different word
6. You misinterpret their treasure for your trash.
Children are creative. In fact, they’re so creative that sometimes you don’t recognize it. Take, for example, a whole bunch of blankets piled in the middle of your child’s room. Little did you know that it only looked like disorganized laundry, when in fact it was a blanket fort meticulously built by little ambitious hands – a fort that you apparently destroyed and sacrificed to the washing machine. Or, how about the seemingly random scraps of paper you nonchalantly threw away, only to later learn from your tearful young artist that those “scraps” were really works of art just waiting to be admired by a deserving and appreciative audience. Apparently, you’re not a part of that audience.
Despite our mishaps, it’s important to remember that our faults help make us human. It’s not so bad that your children know you’re not perfect; in fact, they might just be able to relate to you better – especially when they grow up and have kids of their own.
