My Parenting Fails: A Year in Review

I took a moment to reflect on the past year to see where I went wrong and where I could do better when it comes to parenting my six darlings.

Other than the usual stuff like forgetting to be the tooth fairy, turning up late for the school play, and pretending I was listening to their concerns while I was on Twitter, the biggie fails this year included:

1. That time when we went to the cottage and my kid ate so many FROOT LOOPS that his poo was the colour of a rainbow for a week.
    
2. That time I got so annoyed with a child that I said “What’s wrong with you?” I hated myself for saying it. It sounded so awful and the moment it passed my lips, I was horrified. But it was said, and the kid on the receiving end had been acting in a ridiculous fashion. Still. Not my finest parenting moment, and it is not something I’d ever say again.
    
3. This is my biggie fail of the year: When one of my daughters overhead me complain about my body to my friend. I have spent their lifetimes NOT talking about bodies, not using words like fat/skinny, not talking about appearances and not owning a scale. My children were never going to hear their mother complain about the amazing body that created them. And then one did. Thumbs down, mama – all that hard work around good body image just got knocked down a huge notch.

But there are many wins as well! We can’t forget about the times we got things right and I have no problem celebrating the many great things I’ve done with and for my kids, along with the amazing choices I’ve made in their best interests. No doubt this year will bring on a few more fails and many more wins.

Happy parenting in 2016 everyone!

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