This was a very candid moment captured by one of my team during a visit to the SuniTAFE hemp farm earlier this year.

On this occasion, Ben was working and my Mum and Dad were tied up for the morning, so the Jedi came to work with me.

Even with a whole team of people supporting you, parenting can be tough.

It is relentless and tiring. I had no idea of how tough it would be until I had a child. And it is always much more taxing for the primary parent. Your absences and your failures are felt more deeply, by you and them.

On Thursday night, my flight home from Parliament was delayed and I knew that meant I wouldn’t get to see Jed – and more importantly, he wouldn’t get to see me – before he fell asleep.

I called home to give Ben an update on my ETA and Jed commandeered the phone, telling me, through sobs, “I’m waiting for you Mummy! I’m waiting for you!”

It’s in moments like that, of trying not to cry in a busy departure lounge that you find yourself wondering what you’re doing. Wondering if you’re good enough. Wishing you were cut out for stay at home parenting. Hating yourself for not being with your child when your absence feels so cruel.

How do you reconcile that? By remembering that for every time you drop the ball, you’re also catching it.

In my world, it means remembering that my son is happy, healthy and spirited. He is secure and strongly attached to me, his dad, and his grandparents. He can be naughty and defiant. But we’re working on that, and those tendencies aren’t always a bad thing in a tough and unpredictable world.

All I can do – and all any of us can do – is our best. And what kids ultimately need and appreciate is a Mum who keeps showing up …

Through all our bad days and breaking points and stuff ups and mistakes, to keep showing up.

Through the criticism you’ll cop when they’re 18 or 21 and they need to get stuff off their chest about the things you didn’t get right, to keep showing up.

Even when it’s hard, and especially when it’s hard, to keep showing up.

Most of the time, you’ll be showing up in person. Sometimes you’ll be showing up via speaker phone from a busy airport.

You are probably not a perfect mum. I’m definitely not a perfect mum. But one thing my son can always count on is that I’ll keep showing up. I’ll keep striving for improvement and owning my mistakes.

For better or worse, every time, for the rest of my life, I’ll keep showing up.

And if I’m up for that, I’ll always be enough. That goes for you too.