The Good-Enough Standard

The term good-enough mother comes from pediatrician Donald Winnicott, who spent decades watching real families in his clinic. His finding was blunt: children do not need flawless parents.

A truly perfect parent would erase every frustration before the child felt it. That sounds kind. It is actually a problem. Frustration is the gym where coping gets built. When dinner runs late or the answer is no, your child meets a manageable challenge and survives it. Each small letdown is a rep.