Grace

“You are imperfect, permanently and inevitably flawed. And you are beautiful.” –Amy Bloom

Too often I hear parents expressing worry about failing their children. “Mom fail” is a sort of jokey expression that’s bandied about for all manner of oversights and mishaps. And then there’s the deeper expressions of “I don’t want to fail her” or “I totally failed my son” that come up around a variety of topics from losing one’s temper to not reading one’s child the right books, or enough books, or forgetting to pack their dance shoes or soccer cleats, or not having the money to buy the gift they want for their birthday--the list of potential failures is endless. “Fail” is such a heavy and final word and it is the epitome of either/or thinking. But your relationship with your child isn’t either a failure or a success. And you yourself are not a failure or a success either. You are a human. Your awareness of how you want to treat your child and of their developmental needs are fertile ground for the relationship you are cultivating. Hold on to your intentions but do not beat yourself up with them. Extend yourself some grace and you will be better able to give grace to your child and those around you.

When you think of “grace” what image comes to mind? What wisdom is here for you?