3-4 Months

There are two types of “wonder” in the world. Parents experience both when they have kids. The first type of wonder is the marvel type – looking at your baby in absolute wonder and amazement. Even at this age, Mia is already reacting to her environment, making eye contact and showing interest in the things l show or present to her. It amazes me just how much she can observe and absorb. The second type of wonder is the wonder of the unknown – looking at your baby and wondering how you are ever going to fulfil the needs of this little human being.

As parents, we understand the responsibility of raising a child and, whether we admit it or not, we aim at doing not only a good job, but a perfect one! I had deep insight surrounding the fact that I wanted to be a perfect parent. It was a harsh but truthful revelation: Perfect parenting is unrealistic and basically impossible! We can’t strive for perfection, there is no such thing. We can only strive towards excellence and excellence can only be achieved through failing so many times that you eventually figure out which road leads to success for you as a mother.

Parenting is all about many trials and making mistakes. There is not a book in the world that can perfectly describe your child or tell you how you should raise her. Everyone must find their own parenting style. What works for one child might be a total disaster for another. We have to be OK with failing in order to learn how to be successful in raising our children.

A good friend of mine, author and speaker, Angelique du Toit says the following: “Your future is not a place you get to go to, it’s a place you get to create.” This rings true for me in parenthood as well. As I journey along the road of parenthood, I create and shape the things that make me great. I learn to improve on my weak points and use my strengths to my advantage. The key lies in honouring the lessons we’ve learned from making mistakes, correcting the mistakes and staying clear of making the same ones over and over again. I have made peace with my failures and surrendered my perfect-parenthood-picture to God in exchange for wisdom to guide me along this beautiful journey of trial and error.

MommaMia Tip: Keep the words of Jill Churchill close to your heart – There is no way to be a perfect mother, but a million ways to be a great one.

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