Every spring since I first started blogging I have written a reflective mother’s day post.  It is the one day where I reflect on my role as a mother and I think about all the other mothers in my life.  What I have learned from them, why I admire them, and how they have changed me.

Every year the subject is slightly different (from advice to new moms to the difference between working parenthood and staying at home) but the SPIRIT of the posts is always the same: Being a mom is amazing.  Challenging, heartbreaking, frustrating and even infuriating.. but also AMAZING.

Moms deserve to be celebrated, even if it is only for one day out of the year. Therefore, when Minute Maid® asked me if I wanted to write a post about motherhood, I was touched and honored!   Their “Doin’ Good" campaign cuts right to the heart of what I have always believed.. As parents, we are all doing better than we give ourselves credit for.  

We tend to focus of the mistakes we are making, or the things we are failing at, instead of focusing on just how successful we really are. We are shooting for perfection and beating ourselves up if we don’t make it.  But the reality is that you are close enough, just the way you are!

It is amazing how I (completely unintentionally) happened to choose that message as my 2015 word of the year: REAL.

Be yourself.  You are more amazing than you are letting yourself believe.  You are doing better than you think.  Every mom has her own story and it is beautiful.  

I’ve written before about the balancing act that is work and children, and success is always a moving target.  Some days you think you have it nailed, while other days you feel like you are downing.  As far back as 2010 (when my now nearly 10 year old daughter was still a toddler) I was questioning if I was a good enough mom.  And looking back now I regret the time and energy I spent worrying about it.

From that post:
 Often, as a full-time working mom, you are find yourself questioning if you are doing a good job.

"Am I a good mom?"
"Am I a good employee?"
"Am I sacrificing too much?"
"Am I not sacrificing enough?"

I often found myself wondering what it would be like if you weren't working.

"Would things be easier?"
"Would my kids be happier?"
"Would I be happier?"

And now I can say:

"I know for sure."

I have seen both sides of the coin and I don't need to wonder. I was a GREAT mom. My kids were happy and well-adjusted. They had a great life with people who loved them, they had balance, routine and support. They thrived.

Time goes by so fast.  So don’t waste a minute of it worrying about how you are doing as a parent.  Since those are minutes wasted.  What is done is done.. and what matters is that your children are loved and they love you.  The REAL imperfect you.

Finally, don’t just tell yourself that, tell other mothers!  The sleep-deprived new mom who is on the verge of tears at the grocery check-out since she can’t get her baby to stop crying.  The mom of that toddler on the airplane who is trying desperately to keep him quiet while being pelted with dirty looks from the people around her.  The mom who lies awake waiting to hear the front door slam, praying desperately that she raised her teenager to make good choices and that they come home in one piece.

All of these moms need to hear that they are "doin’ good” and that they aren’t alone.
Check out this new video from my partner at Minute Maid®. Share it with the friends and family in your life who could use a reminder that they, too, are doing a great job as a parent.
I have actually seen that clip floating around on Facebook before and that was why I was so excited to be given the opportunity to use it on my blog. I love the message!  More people need to hear it.

I hope all my fellow mothers out there had a wonderful Mother’s Day and remembered to give yourself a break.  Not only on Mother’s day, but every day.  Since you are doing better than you think!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Minute Maid®