Another Mother’s Day, my fellow mommies! A day when your kids and loved ones feed you breakfast in bed, deliver hot coffee on command, give you lots of sweet little notes saying how utterly amazing and wonderful you are, household chores magically get done with no complaining whatsoever, and you get lots and lots of alone time. Doesn’t sound familiar? Yeah, me either. Although I did get breakfast in bed, hot coffee on command, and I am laying in my bed alone, with the door even shut while I’m writing this, so I’ll take it! Although I’m trying to tune out the constant fighting that my kids are doing right now. Trying.
So I’ve been sitting here, trying my hardest to make myself stay in bed and enjoy it, and I just was inspired to write a few things down about what it’s like to be a mom. Mostly with motherhood, I question myself. Daily really. I’m constantly doubting my abilities, my qualifications, my disciple strategies, even my cooking sometimes. The other day my daughter said I was wearing “mom jeans.” So yeah, I’m now currently questioning my fashion as well. It would be nice if there was a rule book. But then again, I’d probably just chuck the thing. Who reads rulebooks anyway?
But here’s the thing about motherhood. Often, on our worst days, it’s also what we would never change, what gives us the most joy, what defines us and keeps us going. Motherhood is simply a mixture of laughter and tears, anxiety and joy, fear and love. It’s our best job, our worst job, our hardest job, our most important job. On most days, I think a lot of moms don’t feel worthy. We say we don’t think we’re doing enough, don’t think we’re doing it right, don’t think we can even keep doing it. But we do, and that right there, is the best gift we can give our children. To not give up, to not let the fear of failure win, to not actually believe we’re not good enough. Love is really all we need to give them. Sprinkled with a lot of guidance, a lot of backbone, and maybe a therapist or two. Along the journey we’ll probably have many mommy meltdowns, need copious amounts of coffee, lots of googling “how to’s,” and might occasionally need to lock ourselves in our room for our own time-outs. Perspective may come in the form of some much needed solo vacations, or time away in any form. Usually we’re all ready to come home, because as crazy as it sounds, the reason we needed a break in the first place, is reason we want to go back. Go figure.
But here’s the thing about motherhood. Often, on our worst days, it’s also what we would never change, what gives us the most joy, what defines us and keeps us going. Motherhood is simply a mixture of laughter and tears, anxiety and joy, fear and love. It’s our best job, our worst job, our hardest job, our most important job. On most days, I think a lot of moms don’t feel worthy. We say we don’t think we’re doing enough, don’t think we’re doing it right, don’t think we can even keep doing it. But we do, and that right there, is the best gift we can give our children. To not give up, to not let the fear of failure win, to not actually believe we’re not good enough. Love is really all we need to give them. Sprinkled with a lot of guidance, a lot of backbone, and maybe a therapist or two. Along the journey we’ll probably have many mommy meltdowns, need copious amounts of coffee, lots of googling “how to’s,” and might occasionally need to lock ourselves in our room for our own time-outs. Perspective may come in the form of some much needed solo vacations, or time away in any form. Usually we’re all ready to come home, because as crazy as it sounds, the reason we needed a break in the first place, is reason we want to go back. Go figure.
At the end of the day, I think we can all agree that while being a mom is the best thing that’s happened to us, it’s also left us unable to jump on a trampoline without peeing a little, forever needing spanx, investing in the most expensive bra’s available (or surgery for that matter) because, well, you know. But despite being left with a belly that jiggles like jello, hips that ache at night due to 27 months of growing my little ones, and sometimes still not
sleeping through the night, I wouldn’t change anything. Well, mostly I wouldn’t change a thing. The peeing a little when I laugh sometimes is really unfair. I think I’d change thatš¤£
sleeping through the night, I wouldn’t change anything. Well, mostly I wouldn’t change a thing. The peeing a little when I laugh sometimes is really unfair. I think I’d change thatš¤£
