How much is too much?

Can we suffer from too much self introspection when we consider how we are raising our children?

Taking care with everything you say and every gesture and action in raising strong, proud, successful, mindful, hardworking, creative, resilient and (insert other adjectives here) children is hard work.

It should be hard. It’s a great responsibility to raise a little human, and we owe them as much as we can give because we chose to bring them into the world.

Yet. And yet. How do we marry being mindful of each word that passes through our lips and every action we take while with them or in their sight with being ourselves, being comfortable?

Sarcasm is funny. Fine, maybe not to you. But it is to me and many others. Is it bad for our kids? Will it stunt their resilience? Will it harden them and cause them to be less confident?

There has to be a way to be the supportive, kind and loving parents we want to be while being goofy and a little bit obnoxious sometimes, if that’s how we want to be. I am all for being a better person and growing. I believe I no longer have the right to be the center of the universe. That’s the role of the children. I believe they are small mirrors reflecting back to us the behaviors we may need to change and about which we were previously unaware.

But I believe there must be a line somewhere. And it doesn’t only need to be at night after they go to sleep or when you are alone with friends.

I don’t know where the line is just yet. I’m searching it out, and it may be an ongoing process. It may change as the children age and change.

Have you found yours? If so, where is it?