‘It’s ok to not live in fear or judgement’ – Gabrielle Union speaks about parenting in a critical world

Never a truer word spoken.

Sometimes as a parent, it can feel like you can never get it right and the guilt trips that we give ourselves are next level. Only today I parent shamed myself because I couldn't attend an event at my son's school this morning even though it was informal and he wasn't particularly bothered. Still,it bothered me and I beat myself up about not being able to go due to work. We try so hard to be perfect parents. To be modern and woke but also to be able to match what our parents were able to do. It's impossible to do it all but, we try. Recently actress Gabrielle Union spoke out about parenting and there is no way to be a perfect parent and she is so right. https://www.instagram.com/p/B5EbOnll39W/ Speaking to Baller Alert the Bring It On star said that we all need to cut ourselves some slack:

"Just because you grew up one way doesn't mean you have to repeat everything you were taught. It's OK to acknowledge that perhaps there's a better, more loving, more compassionate way of raising kids than in previous generations. It's OK to lead with love. It's OK if your children aren't exactly like you. It's OK to nurture your child's interest, even if those things don't interest you. It's OK to evolve your thinking. It's OK to not live in fear or judgement. There are no perfect parents or perfect children, so just breathe and do your best and lead with love and acceptance."

The part where she spoke about how you can raise a child that has different interests to you stands out for me as while my daughter is quite similar to me, my son is very much his own person. He's very sporty in a way that neither myself or my husband ever have been but we still support him and cheer him on in his games (even if we have no clue what is going on). Parenting is not a one size fits all. We tend to have to wing it until we figure out what works for us and our family and that's totally fine. As Gabrielle says there is no such thing as a perfect parent, they are fictional. Just take each day as they come and enjoy the journey as it's happening.