I’m starting a new an ongoing series: “I’m Not a Bad Mom (or Dad) Because …”

The idea came to me just this weekend after my friend Robin @FarewellStrangr mention her 3-year-old talking about poop and asked if that was typical. (YES!)

I of course went straight in my head to the fact that my almost-4-year-old is not even potty trained (not something I like to admit).

But as I sat there starting to feel bad about my potty parenting skills, I tried to change my inner dialog: “I’m not a bad mom because my kid isn’t potty trained!” I said to myself. There are reasons we haven’t gotten there yet.

I thought about another previous post I wrote in April “I’m Not A Bad Mom Because I Take Medication.” That post was syndicated on BlogHer, read by thousands, and really seemed to strike a cord.

We can be so critical and judgmental of each other (and ourselves) particularly when it comes to parenting. Personally I’d really like to change that, or at least start to change my own inner dialog of mommy guilt. I think we all have it to some degree because we aren’t perfect parents (do they even exist?), we make mistakes, and we make our own choices that work for our family but may not work for others.

So starting this Thursday I’m inviting “I’m Not a Bad Mom (or Dad) Because …” stories. I mentioned this idea on my Facebook page yesterday, and asked what topics everyone might like in this series. I received suggestions like:

I’m not a bad mom because I take time for me.

I’m not a bad mom because I asked for help.

I’m not a bad mom because I don’t use hand sanitizer or wipe everything down with sanitizing wipes.

I’m not a bad mom because I suffer from depression.

I’m not a bad mom because I’m bad at playing games with my kids.

I’m not a bad mom because I need at least an hour of quiet time each day.

I got a lot of responses on Facebook and Twitter, so I think this is going to be a series we ALL can get a lot out of. And just like I like it, it will highlight motherhood (and fatherhood) truthfully … naked, plain, uncensored and unadorned.

This Thursday, I’ll kick it off with my own story about my non-potty-trained-almost-4-year-old AND I’ve got a terrific submission from a DAD Bruce Sallan (BruceSallan.com) host of #DadChat on Twitter Thursdays from 6-7pm PST.

SO EXCITED to get this rolling! Stay tuned. Oh, and if you’d like to contribute, please email me at cristi@ellieadorn.com

I’m starting a new an ongoing series: “I’m Not a Bad Mom (or Dad) Because …”

The idea came to me just this weekend after my friend Robin @FarewellStrangr mention her 3-year-old talking about poop and asked if that was typical. (YES!)

I of course went straight in my head to the fact that my almost-4-year-old is not even potty trained (not something I like to admit).

But as I sat there starting to feel bad about my potty parenting skills, I tried to change my inner dialog: “I’m not a bad mom because my kid isn’t potty trained!” I said to myself. There are reasons we haven’t gotten there yet.

I thought about another previous post I wrote in April “I’m Not A Bad Mom Because I Take Medication.” That post was syndicated on BlogHer, read by thousands, and really seemed to strike a cord.

We can be so critical and judgmental of each other (and ourselves) particularly when it comes to parenting. Personally I’d really like to change that, or at least start to change my own inner dialog of mommy guilt. I think we all have it to some degree because we aren’t perfect parents (do they even exist?), we make mistakes, and we make our own choices that work for our family but may not work for others.

So starting this Thursday I’m inviting “I’m Not a Bad Mom (or Dad) Because …” stories. I mentioned this idea on my Facebook page yesterday, and asked what topics everyone might like in this series. I received suggestions like:

I’m not a bad mom because I take time for me.

I’m not a bad mom because I asked for help.

I’m not a bad mom because I don’t use hand sanitizer or wipe everything down with sanitizing wipes.

I’m not a bad mom because I suffer from depression.

I’m not a bad mom because I’m bad at playing games with my kids.

I’m not a bad mom because I need at least an hour of quiet time each day.

I got a lot of responses on Facebook and Twitter, so I think this is going to be a series we ALL can get a lot out of. And just like I like it, it will highlight motherhood (and fatherhood) truthfully … naked, plain, uncensored and unadorned.

This Thursday, I’ll kick it off with my own story about my non-potty-trained-almost-4-year-old AND I’ve got a terrific submission from a DAD Bruce Sallan (BruceSallan.com) host of #DadChat on Twitter Thursdays from 6-7pm PST.

SO EXCITED to get this rolling! Stay tuned. Oh, and if you’d like to contribute, please email me at cristi@ellieadorn.com