”The Dream Team” who doesn’t love the sound of that? It sounds perfect! This is what I thought I should strive for as a mother and a wife. I was so far off! In a 2020 social world, it is hard to not assume every relationship is anything but perfect! Let’s face it, most mothers don’t want to broadcast the stress that comes along between you and your significant other while learning to parent together. Like somehow this could make us bad parents if we said it aloud!
This thought got me thinking. First, that’s awful that I could even think that! We are human beings learning and growing, making mistakes, and celebrating victories one baby wipe at a time. Keeping the love present, even if I can’t remember if I brushed my teeth this morning, is vital. Secondly, I want to encourage others to share their truths about parenting ups and downs! Not just the good stuff but the bad stuff too because that is what is real! We can learn from real mistakes. Finally, and most importantly, any guidance shared is a true gift given to another family. The Dream Team needed to be tweaked a bit to make it realistic for me! ”And so we built a life we love full of imperfect perfections and we like to call ourselves The Dream Team”. I would love to share some things that helped us make it a long ride so far!
Parenting Roller Coaster
I like to refer to love in a marriage, while parenting, like a roller coaster! It is full of excitement, extreme ups and downs, fears and anticipation for what new, and some devastation that parenting brought on that day. Together hand in hand we will make it through this wonderfully made ride called parenting! Our secret weapon: be present together! We unplug and make sure we are present in not only our children’s lives but in each other’s. We remind each other to lead by example. Our words to each other have such an impact and how we choose to use them in front of our children even more so. Communication is so important and it’s something we work on every day.
We make promises to better each other; even if it is just getting dirty clothes in the dirty laundry basket and not next to it! A giant victory for me! Think happy thoughts! I keep a quote from Advisor Jane Wells on our refrigerator that reads “Let your love be stronger than your hate for one another.”
Have grace and patience for one another. Give 100% and know that when it is returned that is love. Failure is one of the requirements to success, so keep your heads up mamas and remember you are not alone! The real truth is that together, we may not be perfect but we can still speak highly of each other. Take notice in each other’s dedication towards living our family’s best lives, and know that being grateful for each other is where our love begins.
