Families might look like everything is perfect on the outside, but that is not always true. Striving for perfection puts a lot of pressure on us as well as our children. In our family I like to say, “Perfect is boring, be yourself.” There are times that you might see me and my family and everything is running smoothly: the kids are groomed, we are laughing, everyone is​ being polite and life seems good. On another day you might see the total opposite: my oldest is talking back to me in the middle of the grocery store, my daughters are fighting, hair brushing was optional for the day and I have a scowl on my face that I just couldn’t peel off if I tried. 

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My point is, cut yourself some slack and don’t judge how well you are parenting based on what another family looks like on the outside. Just because things look perfect doesn’t mean they are. We spend way too much time feeling good or bad about our own parenting skills based on what other families are doing. As the old saying goes, you can’t judge a book by its cover. Someone else’s book might look wonderful on the outside, but you have no idea what their story is on the inside. Create your own cover, as well as your own story with all of the ups and downs that come with raising a family. In the end you will have taught your children that creating your own story is priceless.