Dispelling the "Perfect Family" Myth.

Most women struggle with the perfect family myth. We look around at other families and admire how wonderful their life looks. For me, the perfect family is all sitting together side by side in a pew at church. The father next to the mother and the 10 children are next to mother, listening intently to the preacher. The family is well groomed. They have full bellys because their beautiful mother made a healthy, delicious meal for all of them before leaving for church. At the meal, father led in a Bible reading, they prayed together and sang a hymn. After the service, they go home to a feast that they share as a family on Sundays between services. The children are all clothed in dresses and suits that mother has made for them and father is gazing lovingly at mother, thinking of all of the blessings that they have made together. Father is so proud of beautiful mother because she is so kind and loving to him and the children. Mother homeschools and father works from home. Each day is predictable and everybody is just PERFECT! Are you puking yet?
As wonderful as this life sounds, there is a little word call REALITY! I struggle with this little word. Reality is real. Reality is what we live everyday. Reality is Sunday morning when you show up smiling at church, you couldn't find your shoes before walking out the door, the baby threw up on you after you got dressed, the children spilled milk, the dog peed on the floor, Dad was grumpy, You thought of making a nice breakfast but it turned into a granola bar in the car and you have no clue what your making for lunch. Reality is that the children are not perfect. They fought in the car, mom raised her voice to be heard and dad threatened to pull the car over and give a spanking to the next person who made a peep.
Some days, I don't like reality. It exposes everything that we are in our flesh. SINNERS! Parents try their best to be good examples to their children but somedays we are just plain failures. Children are a blessing but they can make a mom want to pull her hair out. REALITY is what makes us know that we need the Lord. We are not perfect. We never will be on this earth. I have learned that the families that I looked at and thought were perfect, when I got to know them, they were not. They had hard days just like my family. They were sinners too! I am not insinuating that we should not try our best but don't let the" perfect family myth" be a discouragment to you because the "perfect family" dosen't exist.