Parents, most of you will know by now that your role is far from a walk in the park. I’m sure most of you would agree that at times it can feel more like you’ve been shoved down a hill, lobbed through bushes and pine cones and face planted in the dirt.

The reality is that a lot of parents expect themselves to be perfect and, as a result, feel as if they’ve failed on a daily basis. They feel they have to have the perfect house, perfect marriage, and even perfect kids. Even though we know that model is completely unrealistic. So how do we fight the notion of this “Stepford” family?

My good friend and president of Focus On The Family, Jim Daly, just released a new book titled When Parenting Isn’t Perfect. Jim has a powerful, redemptive story about how to persevere in the face of a less-than-perfect home life, and embracing empowering parenting strategies. We had a very insightful and wonderfully encouraging conversation about how parents can have fun in their role (yes – FUN) and raise kids well without constantly feeling the stress for perfection.

For those of you who find yourself constantly at odds with…