The upside of rejection

Dear Readers, This may seem like an odd blog title for a piece of writing about the happiest time of my life with the most beautiful person in my life. I promise it has a silver lining. Rejection is defined as a "person or thing dismissed as failing to meet standards."

I like to think that according to Evangeline, I am meeting and even exceeding her standards. Her pediatrician tells us she's achieving all of her well check milestones and looks to be in "perfect" health. She acts happy and is content almost always. As a parent that's exactly what you want to hear.

Then the seed of doubt with parenting is planted inside us.

In today's lesson, the pastor spoke about the chains that weigh us down in our lives. They force us to trudge through life because of their weight. One of these chains is called rejection and it is when we feel we are not meeting some kind of standard. As I often do, I apply this lesson to my own life.

1. For the parents that work full-time, one of the heaviest chains is dropping our kids off with caregivers when we go to work. There's a feeling of guilt that we're not meeting the standard of "good" parenting. (Note: "good" is one of the most subjective words in the English language) 2. For the parents that try to do both, work outside the home and stay home with the kids, there's the chain that they are only giving half of their energy and attention to both. 3. For the stay-at-home moms (STAMs), or stay-at-home parents in general, the chain is guilt that our kids may not get enough social interaction with others. <--- I am here I'm sure there are dozens of other parenting scenarios with dozens of other chains.

The good news is we don't have to be bound by these chains or be defined by so-called rejection. I know that as new parents we often feel that we're failing in one area. We are never good enough and we think someone else always has it better. I hear it in all of my new parent meetup groups. As a writer, perhaps published author, someday, I know my life will be filled with rejection. Perhaps these blogs will take a new form in a book or maybe they will remain unchanged as a digital medium. This industry is full of heartache and broken dreams. The lesson I look from the pastor's message is that I should not let this chain weigh me down and rob me of happiness and fulfillment as a new mother (and a writer). I will try to use these moments of self-doubt and use them as opportunities for growth and learning. I encourage you to do the same.