I remember a young couple, they joyfully discovered, after years of trying, they were going to have a baby. However, they were both perfectionists They did what a lot of expectant parents do, they purchased books on how to raise a child. But they went over board.
They read every book they could lay their hand on.
They taped the baby experts on the afternoon talk shows, to watch later that evening.
They devoured every DVD suggested to them about child care.
I witnessed this obsession develop and consume all their time. I finally asked they why? Why were they sending each waking minute reading or watching child grow specialist?
I still remember their answer, “we want to be perfect parents.”
It was funny, they came to months later, after reading till their were blurry eyed, and listen till their ear bleed, and said, “none of these professionals agree on how to raise children. One says be permissive, and another claims you must be the disciplinarian. We are never going to learn how to be perfect parents.
I just smiled, because they were right. No one is prefect.