I remember leaving the hospital with my firstborn and thinking, I cannot believe they are letting me walk out of here with this baby! I had no idea what I was doing, and I firmly believed there should be a manual or someone to come home with me and train me. As my children grew, I learned more each day. I like to think of it as a trial by fire. As I spoke with other parents, I realized we all share feelings of being unprepared. We all have times when we feel inexperienced and inadequate, and at times we think we are over our heads. One of the things I realized early on is that parenting is messy. We spend much time trying to ensure that we don't make the same mistakes our parents made and instead make our own mistakes. We make mistakes that, ironically, our kids will do their best not to repeat. Thus the circle of parenting mistakes continues. So how do we keep parenting each day as we face our inadequacy? How do we push forward when we realize that we are making mistakes? The trick, I believe, is to not live in that place of doubt. We may look back over the past few years and think I failed here or there, but we can not live in a constant state of failure. Our job is to get up, do the best we can and look forward! If you are feeling discouraged, look for small wins. Look for little things that you did right, maybe just a reaction or a comment. Look for moments to teach, train, encourage, and show love. A win is a win, no matter how small. Don't stop there; challenge yourself to learn and grow. Talk with others and read lots! The real secret is that, mom and dad, you have been designed and created for parenthood, and your instincts are hardwired and will kick in. Not only did God prepare you to do this, but He gave you the perfect kids for you to train and love. So, stay positive and look ahead. Parenting will be messy, but You got this!