Thankful that we’re Doin’ Good

DISCLAIMER: This is part of a sponsored collaboration with Minute Maid and DiMe Media, but all opinions are my own.

It’s crazy to think that the holidays are almost upon us! It feels like just yesterday that we were doing our back-to-school shopping, and now my girls are already making their Christmas wish lists. This year has flown by, but I’m grateful that we have a holiday like Thanksgiving coming up, which encourages us to slow down, count our blessings, and think about all that we’re thankful for. Gratitude is so important.

As parents, my husband and I have a lot to be thankful for… most importantly, our daughters. They can be a pain in the butt sometimes, but we love them so much; they are a true gift that have made our family complete and I can’t imagine a life without them.

I’m thankful for our village, because as the old proverb says, it takes a village to raise a child. We have a wonderful, supportive one, full of generous family and friends, and a beautiful sense of community in our neighborhood that probably doesn’t exist in too many places.

I’m thankful for all things we can so often take for granted – the food on our table every day, the roof over our heads, clean water to drink and hot water to bathe in, the piles of colorful foliage to rake in our front yard, and the peaceful neighborhood that we are lucky to call home.

I’m thankful for the two most important women in my life – my mom and my sister. My mom is loving, generous, and always there for me, even if I don’t call her as much as I should. My sister just had a baby a few weeks ago and gave me the gift of a beautiful, healthy niece. She doesn’t know it, but her calling me for advice a million times a day? I take that as the greatest compliment. She wouldn’t ask me for help if she didn’t think I was doin’ good as a parent. I told her that having a baby would change everything, and it already has. She may not realize it through her sleep-deprived haze and periodic outbursts of tears, but she really is doing an incredible job as a new parent, and I’ve told her so. My brother-in-law, too. He’s already changed more diapers than my husband ever did! 😉

It’s nice to have someone remind you that you’re “doin’ good” because it’s so easy to be hard on yourself, especially with the holidays coming up, which can be an especially stressful time for parents. There’s never enough time, money, or energy to do everything on our to-do lists! We strive to cook the perfect turkey, buy the ideal gifts for everyone, decorate our homes, give our kids magical experiences, and ultimately get caught up in what could have been instead of what is. It’s important to keep in mind that sometimes the most perfectly imperfect moments are the ones that mean the most. The truth is, most parents are doing much better than they think.

Minute Maid’s “Doin’ Good” campaign is about celebrating moms and dads who are doing better than they think. It’s about learning to cherish the time we spend with our kids and making the best of some of the more challenging moments that come with being a parent. It’s also about recognizing other wonderful moms and dads– maybe a friend, a sibling, or someone else you know – for the great job they’re doing. We can all use that pat on the back once in a while!