What I Did Right and Where I Screwed Up As a Mom…

As with any job you have good days and bad days, being a mom is no different. Here are some things I did right, and inevitably, where I screwed up…

Respect yourself and others. I taught my kids to treat people how they would want to be treated. They learned that not everyone lives by that rule, so I taught them forgiveness. If they were waiting for perfect friends they would be waiting a long time. No one is perfect, not even my little angels.

Listen. I chose a job that allowed me to be home in time to have an after school snack ready for the kids. We always ate dinner together and I tucked them in each night. It was during these times we had our best talks. Once they were older and everyone was on a different schedule, I would sometimes get up 2 or 3 a.m. when they got in from a night out, and we would sit and talk. My husband wondered why it couldn’t wait until the next day, but I told him, “If you wait, you’ll miss it.” You have to make yourself available to listen to your child when they feel like talking.

Love your kids and their friends. My kids knew their friends were always welcome in our home. We only had two children but we never knew how many of their teenage friends we would find sleeping on couches the morning after a night out.