How to Keep Your Standards Low and Your Heart Full

Raising six children is an adventure that can make even the most organized person rethink what “clean” and “quiet” really mean. I’ve learned that surviving—and even thriving—depends on lowering your standards just enough to keep your sanity intact. There are days when the socks are nowhere to be found, hair looks like it’s been styled by a tornado, and piles of toys threaten to form their own zip code. Fifteen minutes of pick-up each day feels like running a relay race, but having the kids pitch in—and laughing together as we try to beat the clock—reminds me why it’s worth it. Of course, we also have to check to make sure everyone’s teeth are brushed before bed—because even Tiny Heroes need healthy smiles.

I’ve navigated four car seats at a time, four children in diapers, and muddy shoes tracked through the house like tiny proof of our adventures. And yes, there are tears—sometimes mine, sometimes theirs—but there is also joy, chaos, and laughter until it hurts. These little daily triumphs are what raise Tiny Heroes—kids who learn responsibility, problem-solving, teamwork, and resilience through the messiness of real life.

These moments of beautiful, untidy reality also inspire my work as a children’s book author. Writing for kids today, I remember what it’s like to live in their world: the wonderfully wild, the imaginative, the small victories, and the big feelings. Raising six children taught me patience, humor, and the importance of celebrating life’s imperfect, ordinary, extraordinary, everyday magic. It’s this mix of chaos and love that informs the stories we create—stories where kids are clever, resilient, and full of heart, just like my own. Moments like these are what raising Tiny Heroes is all about.

Family Ink: The Mother and Son Storytelling Team