Listen, repeat after me: There’s no such thing as a perfect parent. We’re all just doing our best to raise these little humans, and mistakes are bound to happen. The lives we see reflected in social media posts don’t always feel relatable when we’re living in the midst of parenting kids, do they? How come it looks like everyone else is already an expert, when the moment we get a handle on parenting, kids throw us curveballs? Trust me when I say we all make mistakes – big and small – and there are no perfect parents out there.

I think most parents are trying to do their best to protect kids, raise them to be decent people, and convince them to eat at least one portion of vegetables a day. Or even per week. But just because we’re trying to do right by them in the best ways we know how doesn’t mean we don’t have our fair share of poor decision making moments.

The thing is, I can’t stop all my #parentfails, #butIvaccinate so I know my kids are protected against a lot of very serious illnesses. The #butIvaccinate campaign is encouraging parents to share their not-so-shiny parenting moments, and I can tell you, they sure make me feel less alone in this crazy journey!

Here are some of my memorable #parentfails, in no particular order – and I assure you, they’re just a small sampling – that might help you feel a little better about your own less-than-shining parenting moments.

That Time My Daughter Ate Bird Poop
That’s right, my daughter ate a giant blob of bird poop right off a park bench when she wasn’t even a year old. I wondered what that white and grey sludge around her mouth was, ignored it, and then realized she was scraping it off the dirty bench and giving her teeny little fingers big old licks. Total #momfail.

The Time I Tweeted This

The Time I Decided to Let the Baby Sleep in That Dirty Diaper
Never wake a sleeping baby, right? WRONG OMG SO WRONG. When they sleep poop, never, ever ever make the mistake I did and think it’s safe to just let them sleep through it. My daughter had the worst diaper rash imaginable thanks to that decision. Her skin was raw from the acidic poop. WAKE THE FREAKING BABY.

When I Failed at Being Canadian

When I Chose the Camera Over Comfort

When my kids were little, tantrums were epic, and I loved documenting them all. I know for a lot of people, this is a major #momfail, but come on, sometimes you just need a photo of the time your toddler was devastated about not being allowed to drive the car. Comfort can come after photo documentation, right?

When I Admitted to Having No Purpose in Life

Come join the #butIvaccinate conversation on social media and hear more of my embarrassing #momfail tales. C’mon, we’ve all got stories. . .why not share yours, too?

Disclosure: This post was developed in association with the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, as part of the #butIvaccinate campaign, however all thoughts and opinions are honest and my own. More information about vaccinations can be found at ontario.ca/vaccines.