Is There A Perfect Mama?

I'm happy to annouce something new around here for Wednesdays. Don't worry, Anne, I still absolutely love your Wednesday Wishes link-up, and I still fully intend to participate! As a mama though, I had to come sit at the cool kids table for this link-up. Hosted by Christine, Ashley, and, Brittany: The Mama Tells All link-up!

We're going to tackle this week's topic - (September 10 - What's Your Vision of The Perfect Mama? Who best emulates this vision for you? How are you succeeding to fulfill your vision?) - in the form of an interview.

My vision of a perfect mama?
Honestly, a mama that's just being herself. I think a perfect mama is one that's not actively trying to be perfect. One that's doing her best to take care of her family, and putting the interest of her children before her own. This mama doesn't know that she's perfect, in fact: she's the one that worries about every little thing. She's definitely not Mary Poppins / "practically perfect in every way". I think "perfectly imperfect" is a great way to describe her. Oh, and she's not afraid to cry... in the bathroom... with a bar of chocolate. 

Allow me to be totally cliche for a moment now. The one person to emulate the vision of a perfect mama would be my own mother. No kidding, y'all this woman is a saint. She's been through so much: periods of unemployment, three husbands, four (unruly) children *the youngest of her four is NINE!!!* , and now she's in the process of buying a house, but she never let my sister and I know how badly she was struggling until we were adults. She's never been afraid to tell my sister or me about her crazy teenage years. I know it broke her heart when my sister and I wanted to live with our dad instead of her after they were divorced, but she never showed how much it hurt. She's seriously the best mother, grandmother, friend, sister, aunt anyone could ask for. She spoils my kids rotten without them knowing that they're getting spoiled.

This is from when my mom held Ainsley for the first time.

How am I succeeding to fulfill my vision?
Gosh, talk about a loaded question. Well, let's just say if my kids hate me in their teens as much as I hated my mom when I was a teenager, then I would say I'm doing a damn good job as a mama. As of in this very moment, it's very hard for me to say. If we're being honest (and we are because that's what do here). I would say that I feel like I'm doing a miserable job. I feel like the only time I really feel like a good mama is when we're out in public and my kids are perfect angels! I know for a fact if you were to ask my husband, he would tell you that I do a wonderful job, but most days I feel like a complete failure. I guess I'm on the right track to my vision.

Because I love Anne so much, I do want to throw a few wishes into the universe interwebs. I wish every mother out there the ability to be a perfectly imperfect mama. I wish you all enough patience and love to not strangle your children when they're being bad, and just enough of a temper to punish them fairly. #toughlove.

To all of the mommies out there, what's your vision of a perfect mama?