I’ll bet if someone was to ask most of us what kind of parent we are, we would probably start off with our disclaimers and faults: “Well, I’m not always the most consistent parent” or “I wish I was the kind of parent who always had a smile on her face.” We start to think of all the ways we are NOT like we think we should be or compare ourselves to other parents and come up short. But, we all bring unique gifts and talents and special things to our families and to our role as parent, some of those evolve BECAUSE we have the opportunity to be single parents…
So, what are your gifts? Are you extra patient? Do you have the ability to see the silver lining in every cloud? Are your creative and flexible? Are you the type of parent who can find something to make for dinner no matter how empty the refrigerator or the cupboards are? Are you energetic and active? Can you do great voices when you read bedtime stories? It doesn’t have to be grand, dramatic and glorious—we’ve all get special talents that we bring to our parenting and our kids are definitely better off for it.
Instead of focusing on all those faults and flaws that we can be so painfully aware of (“I’m just not a cooking and cleaning kind of parent” or “I wish I made homemade Halloween costumes but I’ve never found the time”), how about spending time thinking about what we do well, uniquely and wonderfully? Maybe we aren’t a textbook or a television parent, but we’ve got to let our own gifts shine. What are those special gifts and personality traits that we bring to parenting that enhance our own self-worth—as well as the lives of those around us?
Also: Get Comfortable Doing Things on Your Own