I forgot to pick up my kid today.

And her friend.

Well I forgot that they had early dismissal.

I was planning on picking them up

…just about an hour after I was supposed to.

Ugh.

I felt like the worst mom.

Scratch that —

I FEEL like the worst mom.

And you can bet your self-critical mama heart mine will break over this mistake for days

…and days

…and days.

And it wasn't like I was having wine with my girlfriends or eating bonbons and watching Bravo and just “forgot.”

No.

I was doing the same get-the-other-kids

home,
changed,
fed

and-give-them-some-downtime-before-we-head-to-pickup-and-then-a-carousel-of-activities-that-don’t-end-til-8pm-routine

when my phone rang to

“Uhhh Mom? Did you forget about me?”

“My dear child!
NO!
I would never!
BUT yes…yes I did.
Well not forget about you, persay, but forget that I was suppose to get you
NOW,
NOT AN HOUR FROM NOW.”

She and her friend took it well.

They gave me a hard time. (I deserved it)

They laughed about it to put me at ease. (I was grateful for that)

They still love/like me. (I think? I hope? I pray?)

But the truth is,

though it may be the first time I’ve made a mistake like this,

I make a million other ones every day,

and, without a doubt,

I’ll make another bajillion

- like this or worse -

before any of mine turn eighteen and fly the coop.

The hardest thing as a parent just might be accepting that:

You are just a human attempting to half-way decently do the job of a superhuman.

AND do it with grace.

AND be happy about it all the time.

AND be organized as hell and never a basketcase.

While the easiest thing as a parent is:

being a basketcase without even trying.

And so you’re left with people

— like me —

parents who are,

quite simply,

trying-hard basketcases.

It’s not a good look.

Like the one my tween gave me after waiting twenty minutes for me this afternoon.

But it’s the look of imperfect parent trying her damndest to be anything but.

Tomorrow is a new day.

Hopefully I don’t make too many mistakes tomorrow.

I’m sure I will though.

But I’m also sure the kids will still turn out just fine.

At least that’s why I’m telling myself

…and it’s helping.