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Challenge: Perfectly Imperfect Parenting

Parenting is not meant to be perfect, it’s meant to be enjoyed

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Parenting is not meant to be perfect, it’s meant to be enjoyed!

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No one is born perfect, and we all have our perceived imperfections. How we rise above our imperfections and raise strong, kind, respectable & successful children is what parenting is all about

Growing up, we all have ambitions & dreams about our future life. Our school and college life revolves around creating a path for realizing our dreams. While all of us want to have a happy family, we don’t get any formal training or education in parenting. It’s almost always a surprise. We are never really ready for it! While we know all along that we will eventually have a baby or child in our life, there isn't a book that you can read and become an efficient & successful parent.

Parenting is a journey that we embark on, the minute the baby or child arrives. Like any relation, parenting also needs a lot of energy, time, devotion & dedication to earn the trust of the child.

As our child grows up, and we form our support group by including family & friends, we realize that every single step of parenting has its own joys & challenges. We will get a lot of advice from our support group, but at the end of the day, it upto us to create a strong bond with our child and to raise her with grace and respect.

My husband & I have known each other since high school and share a very close bond. When we got pregnant, we were still in our 20’s and enjoying our life by travelling & partying. Till our daughter came into this world, we never realized what it would mean to have a baby at home who will need our full attention 24/7. To be honest, we are all naïve till it actually happens lol.

We are a small family of 4 (including our golden retriever), but we have a strong and transparent bond. Whether big or small, perfect or imperfect, all decisions are always made as a family. By involving her in everything we do, we expose our imperfections, personality & behavior flaws as well, however that has just made her a more mature & strong person with an amazing attitude.

Parenting is tough, when you consider yourselves a step above and see yourself as an authoritarian who knows and understands better. But parenting becomes a piece of cake when you consider your child as a friend and include them in every decision.

It’s amazing to see them grow & soar. When we hear her speak, do things independently, manage studies, school, friends, sports & cope up with peer pressure & other environmental pressures (like the pandemic), it just makes us so proud. We can distinctly see her personality traits, the value & culture that we have imbibed in her. This is what makes her unique and defines who she is. This would never be possible if we have to raise her by a rulebook and follow every rule. We became parents one fine day, but that didn't change her routine or personality, we continued to do things correctly & incorrectly. We teach her things, and provide her perspectives & guide her, but we don't know if that's the best advice available. We are raising her based on our perceptions, knowledge & our view of the world. And honestly there are no rights and wrongs in parenting.

It’s the imperfections, variations and differences in raising our kids, that shapes their unique personalities. If we had to parent according to a rulebook, can you imagine a world full of kids with similar mannerisms, habits and behavior!


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