Parenting is complicated business.  Not for the faint of heart, that’s for sure.  Of course we all know about sleepless nights where one kid has a nightmare, another’s foot hurts for no apparent reason, and pretty soon every child in the family ends up in mom and dad’s bed.  Party on!  There is barf to clean up, tantrums to quell, backpacks to fill, tears to sooth, and a lot of fights to referee.

Parenting is so much harder than it looks on Full House.

Just a little illustration that happened to…a friend of mine.  Oh, fine, we all know it happened to me while walking my four young children home from the park.  Everyone starts out in high spirits, begging to ride their bikes and scooters, but on the loooong quarter mile back home, it all unraveled in an instant.  The baby blew out a bazooka of poop, splattering and oozing in every direction.  The toddler’s legs suddenly refused to work.  Buddy boy had a nasty fall, and big sis released emotions from having to wear jeans instead of leggings. You would have thought we were a wailing funeral procession. There was blood, there was poop, and there was crying.  So much crying.  At that moment, a sweet older woman walked toward me on the sidewalk.  I nearly looked away, afraid of her scorn.  But to my blessed surprise, she looked at my predicament with absolutely no judgement in her eyes.  She smiled at me encouragingly and said, “You’re doing great!”

It was like receiving a gift.  Those three words were all the boost I needed to keep doing those hard things that parents do.

As a parent, there are moments you wonder, Am I even doing this right?  and I think the dog could parent better than me.  But you’re doing so much better than you think.  Actually, you’re doing awesome!  

 It’s time to celebrate perfect imperfections for us moms and dads who, in reality, are doing much better than we think!

In a world of mounting pressures from social media to post the “perfect” photo or status update, Minute Maid is elevating the everyday moments and little joys in our imperfect families.  It is real life.  It is recognizing not only the good in your own parenting, but letting other parents know they’re doin’ good too! More encouragement, less judgement.  “You’re doing great!”

Let Other Parents Know They’re Doin’ Good with Our Secret Neighbor Service!

For parents, positive recognition is few and far between.  Let a friend, neighbor, or family member know that they’re #doingood by delivering an anonymous basket of goodies to their doorstep!  
Use our FREE printable (isn’t it cute?!) to write a quick note of encouragement, make an extra copy for them to pass along, and then make their day with a secret surprise!

Print four versions here: full page portrait PDF, full page landscape PDF, cute quarter fold card format, or half page card format (as shown in the two pictures above and one below).

Make somebody’s day this week by printing out and delivering the secret service printable above. Parenting is tough business; let a parent know they are doing good!

*This post was written by me on behalf of Minute Maid’s #doingood program.