No Family Is Ever "Perfect"

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There are few things in life more wonderful than starting a family. Being able to come together with the person you love the most to bring new life into the world is one of the most exciting things that you can ever do. But it's also pretty fair to say that having a family and raising a child are often seriously challenging. 

The reality of parenthood and everything it entails is that there are plenty of things that the movies won't show you. That leaves a lot of people feeling as though they're somehow a failure because their family doesn't look or feel the way they think it should. However, that's not the way life works. ​

The truth is that there is no "perfect" family.

Every family is different
The most important thing to remember is that every single family is different which means that there is no single way to measure what's right and what's wrong. Sure, there are some things that everyone agrees on but the way that your family works often simply comes down to who you all are as people, both you, your partner and your kids. The moment that you remember that your family is unique and that means that the standards that you work to are unique as well, you're going to start feeling a whole lot better.

There are always challenges to face 
There will be days where it feels like things are just never going to go right. This is something that's universal to just about every parent. The truth is that you don't have to treat these challenges as a sign of failure. Instead, you need to try your best to find ways to deal with them. Whether it's sleeping through the night, feeding, or the need for something like speech therapy for children, it's essential that you face those challenges. The one thing that you need to be sure that you don't do is to act as though the mere presence of these challenges means that you've somehow failed as a parent.

You can set your own rules
Now, this doesn't mean that you don't have to set rules and boundaries for your child, because of course you do! What it means is that the rules of what it is that actually constitutes a healthy and happy family aren't set in stone. Some people adopt, some raise children on their own. There is nothing to say that any of these situations are any less valid than a traditional family. That's the real truth of the matter: your family, your rules.

The truth is, you really don't need to listen to what anyone has to say about whether or not your family is the way that it's supposed to be. As long as you and your family are happy and healthy and living your lives the way that you want, that's all you can do. Obsessing over some mythical ideal version of family life is just going to leave you feeling frustrated and unhappy.

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Iconic Chica Mag Contributors