I spent the first two years of being a mother fighting losing battles.

I tried desperately to be the best mom I could and to do that it seemed like I had to do everything right, get everything perfect and make no mistakes.

So, I set out to get my little girls to eat what I wanted them to eat. I tried to get them what I wanted them to wear. I tried to get them to do things I wanted them to do.

And I did it all based on what society, magazines and other moms seemed to think was right.

Basically, I wanted them to follow my very sophisticated, adult agenda.

And, as a result, there were a lot of tears.

On my end.

And theirs.

Waking up and accepting imperfections as part of our abundant lives is hard to do but that’s what I did. Motherhood doesn’t have to be this hard. Raising children shouldn’t cause pain — for me or my kids. And sometimes waking up is simply a matter of realizing that right isn’t always better. Right isn’t always the peaceful path. Right isn’t always what will build our kids up to be awesome and thriving.

And that striving for perfection isn’t the only way to be a good mother.

So I stopped the battles, cold.

ABOUT SHAWN: Shawn Ledington Fink is the author of The Playful Family and the Thinking Mama behind the Awesomely Awake who is changing the world — one family at a time. She is a peace and kindness spreader and offers an e-course called The Abundant Mama Project that leads women into a daily gratitude practice.

You can follow Shawn on her Blog or find her onPinterest, Facebook and Twitter.

CONTINUE READING IN THE FAMILY ROOM

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