Today a group of ladies were at my home and we were talking about raising kids.  One of the moms said she thought she was the perfect mom until her grown son reminded her one day of all the bad things she did that she wasn't even aware of doing.   His perception and hers were vastly different.  Not to mention his perception and her daughters, that she raised in the same household, were totally different. 

When your kids are grown they like to remind you of certain instances where you may have failed them.  Some you may recall and others you have no memory at all.  I guess this means no matter how hard you try you still will make mistakes.  There is no perfect parent and there is no perfect child. 

I read this story in a recent book about parenting and laughed and laughed and laughed.  Hope you enjoy it as well.  It came from Allison Pearson, author of I don't Know How She Does It and was written up  some time ago in Time Magazine. 

A mother in Boston was feeling guilty as mothers do.  Her daughter had told her that she was the only mom who never took her kid to Brownies.  Now that probably wasn't true, but it is the child's role to make the mother feel bad about things she hasn't done enough, as well as things she simply hasn't done.  So the day of the next Brownie meeting, Mom got to the office early, rushed through her tasks, then made an excuse and left.  She drove across town like Sandra Bullock in Speed. 

Arriving at the Brownie meeting, Mom sat down and basked for a few moments in a glow of satisfaction.  It was then that she noticed the Brownie leader looking at her: 

 "It's lovely to see you, Mrs. Johnson,"  the woman said, "But maybe next time you could bring your daughter as well."

" I forgot the kid," the mom recalls.  "Can you believe it, I forgot the kid!"