Whether you have a newborn curled into your chest, a toddler exploring the world with determined little footsteps, an older child who seems to grow and change by the hour, or even one who now towers above you… this is for you.
For the parent who is doing their best — even on the days where their best feels messy, tired, or not quite enough.
Parenting is stunning in its beauty and staggering in its intensity. It fills you up and stretches you thin, sometimes in the very same breath. And no matter how much you read, how much experience you have, or how deeply you love your child… there are still moments that knock you sideways.
There are days where your heart feels full and your patience feels thin.
Where the love is overwhelming… and so is the noise.
Where you find yourself wondering how something so magical can also feel so unbelievably hard.
There are nights where you lie awake replaying the moments you wish had gone differently.
The raised voice.
The deep sigh.
The “I should have handled that better.”
The quiet ache of wanting to be the calm, patient version of yourself that felt out of reach that day.
And there are the invisible moments too — the ones no one else sees.
The tears you blink away.
The responsibility you carry silently.
The way you keep showing up, again and again, even when you feel depleted.
I won’t pretend I don’t feel this too. Parenting has brought me some of my most beautiful moments… and some of my hardest. I’ve had days where I’m proud of the mother I am, and days where I sit with guilt and wish I could go back and redo things. But I’ve learned this truth along the way: even the most patient, loving, knowledgeable parents have moments they aren’t proud of. None of us are perfect. And none of us need to be.
Here is a truth worth holding onto:
Every parent feels this way sometimes.
Doctors.
Teachers.
Child psychologists.
Early years professionals.
Parents with decades of experience.
Parents with none.
No one has it all figured out. No one gets it right every time. And every parent — every single one — has moments they wish they could redo. Because caring deeply will always come with a shadow of self-doubt.
But your child doesn’t see any of that. They don’t measure you by the moments you replay in your mind. They don’t have a checklist of perfect responses or flawless days.
In their eyes, you are enough.
More than enough.
You are their safe place.
Their comfort.
Their certainty in an unpredictable world.
Your child won’t remember every toy you bought, every activity you planned, or whether the day went smoothly.
But they will remember how it felt to be loved by you.
The warmth of your arms.
The softness of your voice.
The way you return to them, again and again, even after a hard moment.
Perfection has never been the goal of parenthood — connection is.
Presence is.
Trying again tomorrow is.
So if you are reading this with a heavy heart, or a tired mind, or a quiet question of, “Am I doing enough?”
Please hear this clearly:
You are enough.
You are doing enough.
And you are doing better than you think.
Not because you are perfect — but because you aren’t.
Because you care.
Because you reflect.
Because you love your child with a depth that guides you even on the hardest days.
None of us have all the answers.
None of us get it right every time.
And none of us need to.
Your child just needs you.
Exactly as you are.
Human. Loving. Trying.
And that is more than enough.
Guiding The Young Ones 
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