Don’t Let the Highlight Reel Fool You, Life Gets Real

Life Gets Real

Our online lives should be considered the highlight reels of our experiences. At least for me, I like to use my social media to document our adventures.

A journal of sorts about where we’ve been, what we’ve done, who we’ve met and even just day-to-day happenings.

What often goes undocumented are those rough days, the days when we have #parentingfails like forgetting about the school bake sale or running out of groceries with a couple of school lunches left for the week.

I don’t always get it right as a parent, #butIvaccinate.

I’m guilty of showing only happiness and all the pretty things online. Not because I want to feign perfection, but because I want to celebrate the good times.

Believe me, I have days that I feel like I am going crazy.

In life, unfavorable things will always happen, and they do to me too. I choose to have a “highlight reel” to feel happy and share happiness, too.

With that said, I never claim to be one of those picture-perfect IG or Pinterest moms that you see posing with their kids with elaborate set-up backdrops, coiffed hair and designer clothes.

Not that there is anything wrong with that, it just is not my lifestyle. While I tend to focus on the positive, I’m never ashamed and will be the first to admit that I do have #momfails all the time. I try not to, but sometimes it is unavoidable.

It Isn’t Easy.

Another thing no one ever tells you is how tough raising kids really is. Carrying, birthing and then caring for an infant is not the hardest part. I am learning that parenting continues to get harder as you bring your kids up.

Sometimes the idealistic goal of being a “perfect” parent that you see on TV, read about in all the parenting books or even see online can add pressure.

There’s also that little voice in your head where you have your own standard of getting things right when, in reality, no such thing exists.

There are the never-ending piles of laundry, the mismatched socks or even worse, the socks that grew wings and just disappeared.

Messes, spills, and homework at the very last minute.

How about when they tell you they need a white dress shirt the NEXT day when no such white dress shirt exists in their wardrobe?

Then it is my busy days, where I have been working all day and have not prepared dinner, so we order take-out. Then there is that time that I made the kids late for school in the morning and Gabby missed a bonus question on her test.

Yep, those lost marks were MY fault, not hers.

Life is Definitely Not Perfect

Like the picture above, it looks innocent enough but, what my #parentingfail was that I went out of town for work and came home late. I brought back their favorite gourmet donuts from Toronto, but, here’s the thing.

They had them for breakfast!

While it isn’t the breakfast of champions, it made me happy to see the smiles on their faces, and guess what?

They survived.

I was always one of those parents that sanitized everything, and who am I kidding? Still am. Practicing good handwashing and doing it is often something I believe in.

Definitely covering your mouth when you sneeze or cough, and did I say washing your hands often?

I have always taught the girls this, and my girls have rarely been sick. I don’t say that to brag, just this year, my youngest needed antibiotics for the first time.

Since my eldest has never used them, I had to ask a group of awesome Moms on how they handled it with school schedules because I had no idea how I’d do it. They were gracious and so helpful, even though I felt a bit sheepish.

Here’s the thing, it isn’t just handwashing that has prevented them from catching something much more serious. It is because I chose to give them all the mandatory immunizations on the proper schedule that my family doctor recommended.

I am glad that I got this right.

I know that they are healthy and protected and at the end of the day, that is what we all want for our kids.

Furthermore, I’ll be sharing some of my “#momfails” the next couple of weeks because why not share the hiccups along the road?

One thing we can celebrate is the thing we do have control over, and that’s our kids’ well-being.

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So, power to the mismatched socks and the many fails and successes we will have as parents!

Share your #parentingfail photo or video using #butIvaccinate and be part of the story.

What have you done that qualifies as a #parentingfail?

Let me know, til then–cheers m’deres!

Disclosure: This post was developed in association with the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, as part of the #butIvaccinate campaign. However, all thoughts and opinions are honest and my own. More information about vaccinations can be found at ontario.ca/vaccines.