“You did it!” “Congratulations.” “You’ve come so far.” “What an achievement.”

Everyone wants to be successful. Society shouts their view of success. However, what truly does success look like for a parent?

If we had to name five top indicators of a successful parent, what would they be? Perhaps what first comes to mind centers on a child’s exterior performances, a child’s visible achievements, or how a parent’s child rates on the popularity scale. But is that really parental success?

By definition, success means achievement of intention. In that light, the question becomes what as parents do we plan or attempt to achieve?  The picture of success then changes.

If busy schedules overwhelm you, then having an actual sit-down dinner together three nights a week becomes a parental success. If one-on-one time with your children is always overshadowed by daily demands, then one planned outing every few weeks becomes a parental success.

So take a moment today, to define what successes you intend to achieve as parents. The culmination of little parental successes brings about achievements with lasting value for our children.