A good mom, in my mind, did it all and did it well without fear, fatigue, or discouragement. A good mom had happy, responsible, obedient, and respectful children who loved each other and Jesus without questioning, arguing, or fighting. In my mind, I was responsible for creating a peaceful, happy family. Somehow, I took on the role of being the thermostat in our home.

We raised them to fly. From the beginning, we celebrated all the firsts. They heard our cheers as they took those first wobbly steps, as they fed themselves oatmeal with a spoon, pulled that first loose tooth, and wrote their first name in big, scribbly print. We posted pictures of birthdays, proms, athletic events, and awards ceremonies. Every time they took a step forward, grew up a little more, we celebrated.

What I am saying, tired parent, is this:  your child's emotional well-being, academic success, and spiritual health is not all depending on you. You and I can parent purposefully, pray for our children, and then entrust them to God. There is no scenario in which we can perfectly parent our kids using tried and true strategies resulting in perfect children.You and I live our life overcoming our own parents' shortcomings. That's what they did and that is what our children will do.

What if we set a goal for failure this year? Not a goal to fail as a mom, but a goal for how to have peace in the midst of our mom failures. Failure sounds so awful, but it only means we made a mistake. We can have peace knowing that our children are in the hands of Jesus, even when we make mistakes. And we will make mistakes. We will fail along the journey.