I am a perfectionist at heart. Everything that I set out to accomplish should be picture perfect and at my absolute best. I am a baker by hobby, especially around the holidays. As I have mentioned in previous posts, I have a two-year-old. Our toddler is currently in a stage where she wants to mimic everything I or my husband does, today that meant decorating sugar cookies. I had a pan of cookies that I was outlining and filling while giving our girl her own pile of cookies to decorate to her hearts content. She worked on her project as I worked on mine, but she reached over with frosting and completely colored over a cookie that I had just finished. I thought it was cute and let her continue, but in doing that I acknowledged progress I have made as a mother. There was a time where I would have panicked and upset over cookies not being perfect. I truly believed that I could not present cookies, or anything else for that matter, to others unless they were exceptional. In watching our daughter color over a frosted sugar cookie, I didn’t put any unfair expectations on her or myself. I focused on enjoying the moment of doing something I love with someone I love, and I am looking forward to helping her gift the cookies she made to our family. As a mother, I pray that my children will know that they do not have to be perfect to be worthy and that I will love them always. I have mentioned often that being a parent has given me a deeper understanding of God because he is the ultimate parent. When you think about it, God loves us despite our imperfections. He is with us always and cheers us on even when our snowmen may not be perfectly decorated.