How do I overcome “Perfect Mom” syndrome?

In our mothering journey we will often face the fear of what I like to call the “perfect mom” syndrome. And essentially this is the syndrome that we all can easily fall prey to, which is this woman that we create (an idealized version, normally of ourselves) that we view as the perfect mom doing everything just right for our children, always being patient and loving and kind and then baking cookies that somehow have no sugar in them and no butter and are completely 100 percent healthy when they get home from school. Just doing everything right.

And the reality that Scripture tells us is that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God,” including mothers (Rom. 3:23). So in some sense we are all imperfect mothers. We will all fail our children in various ways, and we really need the hope of the gospel as moms to save us from perfect mom syndrome because perfect mom syndrome would tell you, “Work harder. Be better. Do more.” And the gospel tells us, “Repent and believe. Come to Jesus with your imperfections. Sit at his feet. Be in his Word. Be in prayer. Ask him to change you. Don’t just think that you have to change yourself in your own strength.” Come to Jesus with your imperfections. Sit at his feet. Be in his Word. Be in prayer. Ask him to change you.

Christ’s strength is sufficient, and he invites us to come to him, and we will find rest for our souls. And so I encourage you and me to battle the perfect mom by going to the perfect savior. He can change us in ways that we cannot imagine. And he can work good in us and in our children as he changes us by the power of the gospel.