The night before the first day of school, I planned for the best year ever.
I’d pack nutritious lunches full of fruits and vegetables. I’d always have the laundry done so nobody would scramble for clean clothes. I’d have dinner in the Crock-Pot to greet us when we came home from swimming lessons.
I’d be like June Cleaver and Betty Crocker’s love child: a true mom-boss. This year, the whole family would sparkle, because I’d be right behind them with my spray bottle of polish.
My slide into mediocrity began the next morning. Instead of waking up at 6:10 a.m., I accidentally set the alarm for 7:10. My kids’ getting-ready-for-school noises woke my husband and I up at 6:30. Thank goodness that they know how to set their alarms properly.
“OK,” I told myself, “I’ve got to do better.” As soon as my children were off at school I programmed new alarms and reminders into my Alexa app.
That evening, at 7:24 p.m., the Echo chirped: “This is a reminder. It’s time to leave for school.”
“Can that thing be quiet?” my teenager asked.
“Sorry,” I said. That one was a simple goof. But later that night when the Echo reminded me to take our dog for a walk at midnight, it was completely my fault. I can never remember if noon is a.m. or p.m.
A few days later, I texted my husband to bring home a take-and-bake pizza even though I had a meal that was Whole-30-friendly waiting for me to prepare in the refrigerator. The Crock-Pot wept.
The next day, I interrupted my fourth-grader, giving her eighth-grade brother a refresher course in how to operate the washing machine. So much for me making clean clothes magically appear in their closets.
This school year I wanted to be Ms. Perfect Mom, but I was already becoming Ms. Oops-I-Did-It-Again.
Writing deadlines, upcoming presentations and volunteer commitments drained my attention span.
The slide from perfection to reality happened fast, and it was tempting to wallow in shame. But that week I happened to drive past a church sign that said “Humankind. Be both.” What a great message for parents like me.
I prove that I’m an ordinary human prone to making mistakes all the time. It’s not that I don’t have good intentions —because I do. It’s not that I’m not committed to following through on them — because I am. It’s because I’m so busy that I become distracted. I need to be kinder to myself and lower my expectations about what I can accomplish.
The good thing about my slacking off is it gives other people in my family the opportunity to act. After all, when I overslept, my children woke me up for school on time. When I flaked on the laundry, my kids proved how capable they are.
And the pizza? Well, that was just delicious. Sometimes it feels good to drown in cheese.
Jennifer Bardsley publishes books under her own name and the pseudonym Louise Cypress. Find her online on Instagram @the_ya_gal, on Twitter @jennbardsley or on Facebook as The YA Gal.
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