What we can do is love them with all of our hearts, and go from there. We can be honest with ourselves about our shortcomings and work on those. I think the most important thing we can give ourselves is the knowledge that we are great Moms, and we love our kids and everything else is icing on the cake. Last week as I was rushing the kids to their classrooms and feeling a little stressed, I said hello to a teacher and told her that I like to stand there until my first grader actually goes into the classroom, but I stand back a little bit to give him "space". We laughed and she made the comment that I was a great Mom. For some reason I had to let that compliment sink in a little. When I was at the house and we were rushing around getting ready, I didn't feel that great. In fact, I felt disorganized and impatient. Now I realize I need to give myself a break and see myself the way that teacher does. It's ok to have a bad morning. We can love our kids and not be perfect.

The problem is we see television and read magazines that tell us we should all be Martha Stewart, Heloise and Supermom wrapped into one. I think we need to take more of an Erma Bombeck type of approach. Our house may get messy, we may be late sometimes, we may miss an appointment here or there, but we have love and laughter under our roof. Those two things can carry a family through a crisis, the holidays and yes, even a frantic morning.

About the author

Brenda Hyde is a wife and Mom of three, a freelance writer, and editor of Seeds of Knowledge. For more messages of encouragement sign up for our weekly newsletter, A Mom's Heart by sending any email to amomsheart-subscribe@egroups.com