Perfect Parent-Party of None

I just finished reading “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother” by Amy Chua.  I was curious because there has been so much controversy surrounding this book.  According to media reports, people were outraged and thought the author was a horrible mother.  How dare she make her children practice violin for hours on end?  How dare she want them to be successful and reach their fullest potential?

Now granted, her methods were a little extreme, but she wasn’t doing it to be malicious.  Her intentions were good.  So, if that’s horrible, then is it okay to be the complete opposite and be a lax parent?  Should you let your kids do whatever they want and have zero expectations of them?  Which one is right?

Either way, in someone’s opinion, you are going to be a bad parent.  Women can especially be hard on one another.  We constantly judge other mothers and compare ourselves.  Why do we do that?  Isn’t it hard enough to parent, work, keep up a household, be a wife, etc. without placing more pressures on us?

No one is perfect and to assume someone is a good parent/bad parent after seeing them in the grocery aisle for thirty seconds is ridiculous and unfair.  Let’s all give each other a break and just do the best we can and love those little kids to pieces.  Then spoil yourself with a pat on the back and that last cookie in the box because you deserve it!