Letter from the editor
Motherhood. My life’s mission. My purpose. My kids.
As moms we have the greatest intentions to be the very best we can be for our children. We have goals and dreams to raise our kids to be confident, kind, caring, responsible, happy, and productive adults. From the moment that strip turns pink, or those adoption papers get approved, or let’s face it, we bring Buster home from the shelter, we are thrust into the world of judgement on how we parent. Everyone seems to know more than us and some are overly anxious to dump their opinions on how we are failing at raising our kids or fur-babies (even though they have neither). But don’t WE know what’s best?
It may seem naïve, but I genuinely believe that when we enter parenthood, there is an inner power that awakens from the deep. The worrier. The risk-assessor. The planner. The patient listener. The defender. The self-sacrificing one. The MOM.
So why is it that although we are all these incredible things and more, we allow ourselves to doubt our choices when it comes to our kids? We worry that we aren’t doing enough for them. That we are failing them. We need to acknowledge the fact that being a parent does not make us immune to mistakes. We can only do our best and be willing to change our ways when we do mess-up, which for some of us can be quite often.
WE, society, are the ones who instill doubt in those around us. WE cause our friends and neighbors to feel inadequate. Just spend 5 minutes on Pinterest and I guarantee you’ll be questioning your abilities as a parent, provider, house-keeper, cook, laundress, decorator, and birthday planner, among the many other duties that fall upon us.
So how can we stop the madness? Let's SHARE our failures. Be open to discussing reality. Put your ego on the shelf and let it gather dust. Parenting failures are very much a part of the journey we are all on together. I have never met one parent who didn’t have the same hopes and dreams for their children. We want them to be successful, right? Well, doesn’t that mean they need to also learn how to fail successfully? We need to be open and honest with our mistakes so we can learn how to better ourselves. If we hide our failures, we are teaching our children that when we fail, we must hide it, and pretend we never failed in the first place. That is crazy! We ALL fail. We need to stop judging each other so harshly.
We have all experienced the toddler in public throwing the biggest tantrum you’ve ever seen. Whether you were the spectator trying to distance yourself to save your eardrums while you cast disapproving and judgmental glances, or God forbid YOU were that child’s mother, desperately trying to calm your child who missed their nap, had shots that morning and who’s little legs were throbbing in pain as you made your way to the pharmacy to pick up their medication. Let’s take a step back people and think before we judge. For the ones who continue to scowl at the mother doing her best, just remember how you treated her when the roles are reversed and you find yourself in that same situation in your future.
These reasons and more are why I am so excited to share our True Beauty Award Winner, Kristina Kuzmic, with all of you. With over 860,000 followers, Kristina’s comedic and sarcastic videos on parenting are a refreshing dose of honesty we could all use.
“My number one job as their parent is to love them, and loving them does not mean making sure they’re always happy and get every single little thing they want,” Kristina says, noting that loving her kids actually means “raising them into healthy, decent human beings.”
“Until my kids are adults, I am not their friend,” she added. “We are not on the same level. I’m the authority. My child’s well-being is more important to me than my child’s opinion of me. My job is not to be liked by my kid.”
Well said, Kristina. We at The Beauty Battalion are honored to have had the opportunity to get to know you personally and are very proud to feature you on the cover of our May 2017 issue.
Xoxo,
Missy Lovett
Missy Lovett, editor-in-chief
@missy.lovett
04 THEBEAUTYBATTALION.COM