My mom taught me something really valuable:
A project that is finished beats a project that is perfect but unfinished. This taught me that disappointment is expected sometimes, and that imperfect things can still really be useful and appreciated.

We ate many a meal that we had to use a little ketchup on. We had many a baking project that fell, and we pieced it back together with toothpicks and extra frosting. We grew some funny looking vegetables, and ate them anyway. We sewed and crafted some pretty sad looking creations, and wore them or displayed them anyway. We laughed when we messed up, and accepted that imperfect things were part of the process.

Our kids are growing up in a world where we only show the pretty things (unless it is #pinterestfails, which are humorous and probably far more common than we know). But when kids are expected to make perfect things, they stop trying.

I'm not saying to tell them everything is wonderful and to celebrate every creation (especially when they don't put much effort into it) but to accept that some things just don't work out like we thought, and that imperfection can still be beautiful, delicious, and useful. Because as a life lesson that has served me well to keep moving forward, even when things are hard or don't look perfect.

Done is good enough.
It applies to us too.