No, this isn’t a potty-training story…though it sure started like one.

I was deep in task mode, ignoring every signal from my body like a true multitasking pro, when it hit me: run or regret it.

So there I was, sprinting through the house like an Olympic hopeful, singing, “Don’t have an accident, don’t have an accident, Mommy!” The kids were howling. I was dying laughing. And somewhere between the laughter and the panic, it hit me…maybe this is exactly what they need to see.

Not the perfect version of me.

Not the “mom who’s got it all together.”

The real one, who sometimes almost pees her pants trying to do too much.

For years I’ve modeled composure and control, but not enough grace. My teens especially have inherited that perfectionism. If one thing goes wrong, a missed note, a crooked line, a single dropped flag, they don’t see the 99 things they did right. They only see the flaw. And I get it, because I built that blueprint.

I taught them to chase excellence.

I forgot to teach them to laugh through imperfection.

So here’s my reminder, to them, to me, and probably to you too:

Sometimes, Mom doesn’t make it.

Sometimes the to-do list wins.

But those little “failures” aren’t failures at all they’re proof we’re trying, learning, and still human enough to laugh about it.

Because perfection doesn’t teach our kids resilience.

Grace does.