Last night, our family (including our 2-year-old toddler) had Rita’s water ice and custard for dinner. That’s it. No protein or fresh fruit to try to add nutritional value to the meal. It was a massive departure from the protein, fat, complex carbs, and little to no added sugar balance that I typically strive for. A past version of myself would have viewed this as my failing as a mom to provide adequate, balanced nutrition for my active and growing child and I would have mentally beat myself up over it.

Do I feel awesome and totally guilt-free about a sugar-loaded dessert for dinner? Haha! Also no.

But I’m so proud of myself for how far I’ve come in letting go of perfection. I set high goals for myself, and that’s ok, and changing plans and not meeting those goals 100% of the time is also ok.

My family didn’t have a wholesome, nutrient-dense, dinner. But we did have an enjoyable dinner while also contributing to my child’s daycare fundraiser (the whole reason why we went to Rita’s in the first place) and one treat meal out of one day is hardly going to throw off our overall health or my child’s growth trajectory. My child loved the experience of picking out his own flavor (“Yellow” was his consistent request the entire car ride over) and sharing bites of his dinner with Daddy and me while getting some tastes of ours.

It was a family treat and experience leaving us all with full bellies. It was embracing a different kind of balance, flexibility, and of course, imperfection. It was an example to me of how much I’ve grown in my mental flexibility and self-forgiveness and I’m proud of myself for it. Tonight, we can go back to our meals as usual.