As always, we have to separate behaviors (what we do) from identity (who we are). This does not mean letting yourself off the hook or making excuses for yourself. It means recognizing that you are good, and that you can do the hard work to improve. So commit this principle to memory and tell yourself, over and over and over again: “Two things are true: I am having a hard time and I am a good parent. I am a good parent having a hard time.”
