When Life Gives You Lemons...

...don't get bitter. That's the lesson I learned last week.

Have you ever had a time in your life when you just felt as though you were failing to be a functioning adult? Generally, I consider myself to be pretty competent. I work full-time at an often-demanding job that requires me to commute 1h 20 minutes each way. I have two kids under age five whom I adore and keep (reasonably) clean, well-fed and entertained. Life is busy—hectic at times. And usually, I've got this.

Except for this past week. Without going into the details, everything that could go wrong, did go wrong, and I let it get to me. I found myself going into this downward spiral where, with every additional thing that happened, I began to question my capabilities, both at work and at home.

I think one of the most important qualities you can have—in life and particularly as a parent—is confidence. And that's a hard one, as it takes a leap of faith...most of the time, there's no concrete evidence that you're succeeding. 

Plus it's easy to feel as though you are operating in a vacuum. Why do you think there are so many parenting blogs and online forums out there? Because we're all seeking validation that we're doing something right.

But here's the thing to remember: nobody in the world knows your kids better than you. And they need you to set an example; to show them to behave and how to make their way in the world.

So, after a disastrous few days, I said, "Okay, that's it. Now it's time to turn things around." And I did.

We all know that life has its ups and downs, and those down times can seem endless. But the reality is, this too shall pass. And until it does, you can spend the time wallowing—or you can acknowledge all of the things that are going right and remember just how lucky you are. 

Being happy is the more difficult choice...but it's a choice we all have to make.