The Five Criteria

Good-enough parenting comes down to five things:

• Safe — your child is protected in body and in feelings
• Loved — shown through words, touch, or just being there
• Responded to — not instantly or perfectly, but reliably
• Boundaried — limits held often enough to feel secure
• Repaired — you reconnect after the blowups

That is the list. Not organic lunches, not craft-fair projects, not a class for every spare hour. Safe, loved, responded to, boundaried, repaired. Hit most of these most days and you are doing the job.