Is there something right with me that can compensate for my weaknesses? I love my kids. I might not have always been the best mother, but I have always done everything in my power to do right by my kids. My mental illnesses and subsequent breakdown might have taken them away from me for a time, but I’m working really hard at keeping myself stable enough to be there for them now. I can look back upon my past with a lens focused upon my failures, or I can choose to direct my memories toward what I did right. I used to beat myself up continuously for my inability to control them, for my powerlessness, and from my weaknesses, which only increased my feelings of failure. Now, I choose to be deliberate about reminding myself of all the things I did right. I did make the effort to be with them, to care for them, to love them to the best of my capacity, and I still do, and I always will. I talk back to the voice in my head that tries to convince me that I’m not good enough. That voice is a liar, and I refuse to believe her anymore.