I know it sounds strange. You might say, “Duh! Of course parents are people!”
But many times once we become a parent we don’t accept ourselves as a real person. Suddenly we become “mother” or “father” and are filled with “should know this” and “should do that” and/or ” should never say or do this or that!” We put unbelievable pressure on ourselves to be perfect. (What a way to squelch our joy and feel like a failure!) 
Most of the parents I know and love seem to suffer from too much self-condemnation. After all, it IS a huge calling and we have minimal training. And if we have read a parenting book or two that we cannot measure up to or listened to common culture’s voice of condemning parents, we tend to take on hand-me-down beliefs that do not fit us very well.
Parenting is about being human. Personal growth, not perfection . . . is our goal! In fact when we expect ourselves to be perfect we are likely to try to hide our imperfections, like a child hides when they do something they know does not meet our approval.
So, parenting is about being human and allowing ourselves to make mistakes. When we take responsibility for our mistakes we are prone to be open toward changing that which needs to be changed.
Parenting takes practice. Our children are naturally forgiving when they are exposed to an atmosphere of support and respect. It helps me to remember that lawyers practice law and doctors practice medicine and they have a lot of training! So why do we put so much pressure on ourselves to be perfect parents?
Parenting challenges our beliefs! One example of a widely accepted belief that likely does not serve us well and is worthy of review, is the belief that we are “supposed to be” consistent. Exactly what does that mean? It may be a parenting myth. Have you ever tried to be consistent? Just take something like exercise, dieting or meditating . . . are we consistent on those rather straightforward activities? Most of us would say no. We may hold these things in high value, but still falter. And parenting is not that straightforward! Something your child does today and does not bother you (and may even delight you) will annoy you terribly when you are sick, or tired, or are in a restaurant! It is human nature to fluctuate in our responses. I know it is important to remember that behavior is contextual. What works in one place is not right in another so children learn this puzzling lesson by our responses. But I am speaking here of the same context creating different responses from us. Many times something seems cute and charming when we are in a good mood and quite the opposite when we are not!
Consistency is important , however, in practicing our core values, such as being respectful or honest. Then when we have an “off” moment (or day or week) we know what we must do to honor those values. We admit responsibility and seek forgiveness!
Today I want to encourage you to allow yourself to learn and grow from your mistakes. Be compassionate with your mistakes. Forgive them. I also would encourage you to be curious about your beliefs no matter how long you have had them. Our beliefs deserve review and updating. This will bring new life to your approach to challenges and problems.
To demand consistency of yourself may sacrifice spontaneity, play, and flexibility on the journey. To honor your values, however, will bring you inner peace and build life-long quality relationships.