Master of Mum

There's lots to learn when becoming a parent and I don't think you ever reach a point where you think 'I've totally got this!" - or, if you do, it tends to be short lived as your little one throws a curve ball and you suddenly feel like a newbie all over again.

I've been thinking about all the different things we pick up along the way, or the things we have to or are meant to learn and it's led me to believe that we become jack of all trades but masters of none, or just a few. We're all different as individuals with variable skill sets to bring to the parenting table; some of us are naturals at arts and crafts, others can whip up a mean batch of crispy cakes. Or some of us might be expert monster catchers, with a 100% success rate.

And you know what? That's ok. 

This isn't a criticism at all, it's an acknowledgement that we have to try all sorts of things, picking new abilities along the way or just doing our best to wear all the hats that come with having the name mummy or daddy.

Feeding machine. 
Taxi driver. 
Storyteller. 
Chief negotiator. 
Adept at puzzles. 
Skipping pro. 
Pasta art aficionado. 
Costume designer. 
Maths whizz. 
Champion cuddle giver.

There's a lot expected of parents these days but I think the pressure can often come from within. We look around, at what our children's carers or teachers do, at our friends, at the posts we see on Instagram and at representations in the media, and we think we have to do these things too. 

Or we at least want to try. 

And there will be some things we pick up and other things that, well, we may never master.

To ourselves, what matters is that we know we can't always do everything or be everything to our children. But to our children, all that matters is the fact that we try.