This week I’m sharing one of my biggest mom fails. And yes, it involves a puppy, allergies, and my daughter screaming “I hate you” at me while we sat in LA traffic.

What started as a low-stakes Saturday adventure turned into one of the hardest parenting decisions I’ve had to make. We adopted a puppy. I truly thought I did everything right. I tested for allergies. I asked the right questions. I gave it time. And then my daughter had a severe reaction and I had to choose between something we wanted and someone I love more.

This episode is not really about a dog. It’s about what it feels like to make a decision that has no clean win. It’s about the guilt, the grief, the shame, and the second guessing that can come with motherhood. And it’s about realizing our kids are watching how we handle hard things.

I talk about what it was lik ...