If you are anything like me you have dreamed of being a mother for a very long time.  You thought about what it would be like to raise your children and what you will and will not tolerate.  You some how in your mind created this ideal of the perfect parent.  What you aspire to be.

For me that was my mother.  I wanted to be the type of mother that she was.  She created the best childhood.  She was the mother that created craft projects and got down on the floor and played with us.  She created the best forts and always put our needs above hers.  No matter how hard it was she pushed forward knowing that in her eyes she was doing the best for her children.

I mean she hosted, put together, help decorate and facilitated Fourth of July parades for all the kids on the block for many years.  Usually this was only for the parents of said kids, but we all had a blast, putting red, white and blue cray paper, and sparkles.  Even before my sister could ride a bike, she decorated a metal red wagon for her to sit in.

One year during the Olympics she put together our own Olympics for all the neighborhood kids.  Complete with some sort of medal and ceremony for the best of the best.

These are just a few examples of things that she did for us.  Totally the Pinterest Mom before Pinterest was even around.  She would have home cooked meals most nights a week.

I had some big shoes to fill when I became a mom.  I found though very quickly that I was not my mom and I was actually completely the opposite of her.  It has taken me many years to learn that even though I am not the ideal mom I thought I wanted to be I am still a great mom.

So this is where I say that it is great to have a role model of the type of parent that you want to be, but it is also okay to find what works for you and your family.