Sometimes I feel like the best mom in the world. And sometimes I feel like the worst mom in the world. I could type up a description of me that sounds absolutely amazing, and I could type up a description of me that sounds pretty awful.

The truth is somewhere in the middle. The truth is that I can guarantee you that I’m doing my best and I can also say that, without a doubt, I sometimes get it right and I sometimes get it wrong.

The good things about my parenting:

• I adore my children.
• I love who each of my children is and I enjoy their company.
• I have maintained structure and I have had fun with them.
• I have consistently through the years modeled giving back and helping others.
• I am always trying to become a better mom – to listen better, to improve how I relate to them.
• I have (usually) maintained a sense of humor with my kids.

The bad things about my parenting:

• I overreact to illnesses.
• I overreact to crises.
• I am uncomfortable seeing my kids in distress, so try to solve every problem.
• I haven’t limited certain things (i.e., screen time, primarily) enough.
• I lost a bit of structure in the years since I got divorced.
• I got divorced.
• I sometimes lose my temper with my kids.

Probably both of these lists could go on for a very long time. I’ve certainly had people tell me very explicitly that I’m the best mom and the worst mom. My kids, though, typically call me a good mom, which some would say means that I’m a bad mom. Sigh. For now, I am just moving through bouncing between the two and trying to stay in the middle. Doing my best, hoping for the best, and trusting that things will work out the way they’re supposed to.