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July 30, 2012
Has anyone seen the public service announcement adoption commercials currently airing on Bravo TV? There are amusing 30 second spots with well meaning parents clearly making egregious faux pas in the eyes of their kids. What is so amusing is that even if you are not someone’s parent, you are certainly someone’s child and everyone can relate to each of the commercial spots. The point of the commercials is that one does not have to be a perfect parent to be a parent…..and why? Because there are no perfect parents!
I talk to parents every day who are concerned about mastering the “perfect parent”. Relax. It’s not going to happen. What can happen is that we realize that we are not perfect parents and do our best to just do our best. It is an ever evolving task as we are not the same parents at the age of 45 as we were at 35 and certainly not the same parents that we were at age 25. Doing our best as parents includes always taking the child into consideration first and educating ourselves at all stages of parenting. And if we do those things, then that is all we can ask of ourselves. I find that questioning your parenting skills is often indicative of a great parent. Those that don’t question themselves are probably the ones that have something to worry about!
Education is one key to the pursuit of great parenting. Education brings us to the reality that we certainly did not know what we did not know about great parenting. One does not have to have formal education to be able read and partake in seminars regarding parenting tips and planning. Some of this information you will take to heart and some you will naturally filter out. The key is to find an educational source with the same values and principles that you and your family embody and education that is relevant to your particular situation. There are many support groups that are specific to particular parents (grandparents raising grandchildren, special needs parents, adoptive parents). For example, MLJ offers education pertinent to international adoption. Some of the MLJ education offerings are pertinent to any parent and some tailored specifically to adoption or international adoption or even country specific adoption. Often, one class can spark your interest and ignite the desire to learn more about a particular topic or about children in general. Utilizing education is not an admission that you are currently a “bad” parent, but simply an acknowledgment that you want to be the best parent possible.
I encourage you to explore the MLJ education offerings and see what strikes you’re fancy. If you have any ideas about educational topics not currently offered, contact Lauren@mljadoptions.com. And the truth of the matter is, perfection is in the eye of the beholder and in this case the eye of the child. And I will bet that in the end, your child will say that they do have perfect parents! And that is what counts.
For more information about MLJ Adoptions’ international adoption programs, please click here.
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