Most mothers I know spend an outrageous amount of time questioning their parenting skills. I do it. I lie awake at night wondering how badly I’m screwing my kid up. I worry about the decisions I made yesterday and the ways they’ll affect him tomorrow. I’ve forgotten to register him for school, thrown out the pictures he’s drawn for me and totally lost my cool in the heat of the moment when he was mid-meltdown and needed me to be the voice of reason.

But I’m the best mom, ever. And you are, too.

You see, our kids see us the way we wish we could. They see awesome mothers who kiss booboos and build Lego empires. They see moms who bake (OK, sometimes burn) cookies and get them to swimming lessons on time… usually. They see love. And that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it?

More than once, I’ve looked at F and apologized. Parenting is hard sometimes, and I’m not too big to admit when I’ve dropped the ball. And I call it for what it is: sometimes Mommy makes mistakes, and sometimes I don’t do a great job of being a good mom. And when I do, F almost always replies “It’s ok, Mama. You’re a great Mom.” 

So the next time you’re feeling like your World’s Best Mom award is in pieces, remember that it’s not. Remember that your kids (and for what it’s worth, me too!) think you’re the best. Because you are.