Nobody’s perfect – some ideas to help you ditch the parent guilt

Ever feel the pressure to be that parent who gets everything right, thrives in every aspect of life, and documents this on a perfectly-curated social media feed? Often this pressure comes from seeing other people’s feeds pop up in our moments of stress. The thing is, all that you’re seeing is their highlights reel.  

It’s rare for people to post pictures of their child screaming and launching their dinner onto the floor because broccoli is the root of all evil... but moments like this are probably happening behind the scenes of all the beautiful moments which are captured.  

The ‘perfect parent’ does not exist! People tend to share their wins – but remember that everyone has those days where nothing goes quite right.  

Resist the pressure and follow your family’s lead 

You might feel the need to set up carefully planned activities, and end up stressed and frazzled when your children don’t engage with them. If this sounds familiar, maybe let your child take the lead.  

They may show a natural interest in playing with something simple, like wanting to splash in a puddle in the back garden, or hide under the kitchen table and pretend that it’s a secret den.  

Ignore the pressure to come up with things for your child to do at home that look like they’re straight from Pinterest. Often, simple and child-led is best to keep you both happy and interested.  

Curate your feed, and be intentional about who you follow 

If you feel like social media sites, or just certain accounts, are making you feel negative about yourself and your capabilities, simply unfollow.  

Try to curate a feed that feels comforting, interesting and positive rather than one that gets you down.  

Be realistic 

Keeping in mind that the perfect parent does not exist, try to be realistic with your expectations. 

You could set yourself small goals that suit your own family, like making sure your child is read to once a day or has a certain number of meals that are cooked fresh per week. Setting yourself realistic targets that are in your reach can make you feel more confident and positive about your personal parenting journey.  

Something else to keep in mind is simple: be kind to yourself. It’s easy to fall into the vicious cycle of being self-critical, but remember – what you’re thinking about yourself isn’t truth, it’s an opinion. Take a moment to reflect: would I say this to a friend?