HEALTHY KIDS · DECEMBER 2018
HEALTHY KIDS · DECEMBER 2018
GOODBYE,
PERFECT!
I
f you’re a mom and are willing to be
honest with yourself, you’re likely
more than familiar with the pressures
of perfection and comparison.
They often start innocently enough
but are soon controlling our lives and
dominating our every action. Comparison
and perfection are cruel taskmasters and
it’s time to turn on the light and tell them it’s
time to go!
I recently had the wonderful opportunity to
speak with author, blogger, and mom, Crystal
Paine, known to many online as the Money
Saving Mom. Her website, moneysavingmom.
com helps countless families be intentional
at home, in their business, and with their
finances. Crystal and I had a wonderful
conversation and while she did talk
about some of the things she’s learned
and shares as the “Money Saving Mom”,
more importantly, we spoke a lot about the
pressures of being a perfect mom, how to
fight the lies of “having to do it all” with positive
truths and about how she’s learned to
authentically be Crystal.
Moms, this episode is just for you
and I hope you’re encouraged
and inspired by what you hear!
Saying goodbye to the idea of
“perfection” may seem like a
daunting task, but here are a few
places where you can start. I
promise it isn’t quite so scary!
1. CONFRONT THE LIES IN YOUR HEAD.
Every mother I know has a collection of negative voices
in her head telling her she isn’t good enough in one area
of another. Maybe it’s saying you’re not good enough at
cooking or managing your finances, or maybe it’s that
you’re not spending enough time with your kids – or
if you only did this one thing, life would get so much
better.
Every mom I know has a collection
of negative voices in her head telling
her she isn’t good enough.
2. STOP THE COMPARISONS.
There’s a well-known saying, ‘Comparison
kills contentment’. Boy, is that the truth. As
a pediatrician, I have listened to thousands
of mothers talk about how horrible they are
We may have different scripts but all of us
have this in common – those voices are LIES. for notdoing things that other mothers (or
countless voices of other unknown advisors)
The kicker is that we know that these are
say that they should do. The truth of the
lies…the hard part is fighting them. Crystal
talks about an exercise that she started doing matter is, we are always looking around at
our friends or strangers for guidance and
years ago that made a world of a difference
in this area. She began to write down the lies advice, and we can get so caught up in doing
what others say and comparing our journey
she was hearing and started replacing them
with positive truths. Crystal says that it took as a mother or parent that we lose sight of
what is good for us and our families.
years for her to change her mentality, but
she is living, walking proof that this works!
Comparison kills contentment.
If you find yourself overwhelmed because
you’re trying to do all the things that your 75
favorite bloggers are doing, force yourself to
take a month off from the internet! There’s
so much bad information out there that is
making you feel like a worse mom and it’s not
building you up – it’s tearing you down. Mom,
you know what is feeding your anxiety, and
sometimes you just need to cut it off!
don’t take charge and stop the comparison
in our own lives, how we can expect to raise
our girls with a healthy view of themselves?
3. LIVE AUTHENTICALLY.
Whether you work from home, go to the
office every day or are a full-time, stay-at-
home mom, it is truly important for you
to allow full expression of who you are,
at home and in the workplace. Don’t put
on airs for anybody. Don’t pretend to be
someone you’re not – that doesn’t make
you or anyone else happy. I know this seems
very elementary, but sometimes we have to
remind ourselves of who we are and let that
authentic person come through. You and
your family will be all the better for it.
Mom, you're worth every moment
you spend fighting for your
own peace, authenticity, and
contentment!
Moms, I know this is not easy and is MUCH
easier said than done. But listen to me,
you are worth every moment you spend
If we moms don’t stop the comparison fighting for your own peace, authenticity,
and contentment. Your children are worth it.
in our own lives, how we can expect
Your family is worth it. Don’t let comparison
any more from our girls?
and perfection steal one more moment
of your life and your joy! It’s time to tell it
As an added incentive, our junior high girls
GOODBYE!
are often finding their value in how many
likes they get on Instagram and by comparing
themselves to other people. If we moms
By Meg Meeker, MD
16 HEALTHY MAGAZINE
17 HEALTHY MAGAZINE