Does being a good enough mom sound like settling? It turns out, it isn’t. In the 1950s, Dr. Donald Winnicott introduced the concept of the “good enough mother,” which says a mother’s failure to adapt to every need of her children helps the child adapt to external realities. Good enough parenting gives kids room to work things out for themselves, learn new skills, adjust socially… The list goes on and on. Even with this knowledge, it can be challenging to release the need to be perfect in the ways that matter to us. We either want to push our kids to do well academically, make sure they are enjoying sports or hobbies, or be the mom who is involved and engaged at every age and stage.
In this episode, we discuss the words “ordinary devoted mother” and how “ordinary” makes us feel. Megan says she feels a steadiness and that she’s OK with being ordinary if it means her kids have consistency. Abby’s response to ordinary is that it’s contrary to the internal pressure she feels to be extraordinary. Anything less than that feels like it’s not enough. The fascinating thing about motherhood and sharing our journey with other women is that we often befriend women who excel where we lack.
If you’re on board with letting go of perfection and embracing good enough parenting, we give you a few ideas of what that looks like day to day. We cover discipline, attention, meals, and emotional support. So, if you think you’ve dropped the ball in any of those areas, have no fear! Your mess-ups might have been a gift to your kids.
Articles We Mentioned
4 Times to Embrace Good Enough Parenting
Take the Mom I Am Personality Test
The Passionate Mom
Printables We Think You’ll Like
