For 45 minuets I fought with my 3 year old tonight trying to get him into bed. It was the usual routine, nothing out of the ordinary, if anything we had quite a pleasant day. But as quick as the weather changes, so does my sons mood. After my failed attempts to wrestle him into his Spider-Man pjs while he screamed for his daddy, I finally gave up. Worn out, broken, defeated by the very life that I had created. He had won. I handed him his tablet, tucked him under the covers and walked out under a cloud of defeat as I tried not to stumble over the minefield of monster trucks and hot wheels that lined my path. I felt like a lousy mom. Tonight, I had failed.
Or had I? You see, I constantly find that I am comparing myself to other moms. I drop my children off in the mornings and watch the hordes of perfectly braided hairstyles and color coordinated outfits flock through the school doors and wonder to myself, how do they do it? I tried the old routine of getting up hours before school starts in the hopes of being a picture perfect family, eating breakfast quietly in the kitchen, kissing my husband goodbye as he happily waltzes out of the door on his way to work, but the fantasy could not be farther from the reality.
My kids aren’t perfect and neither am I. My son hasn’t had a haircut in 6 months, not because he doesn’t need one.. because I don’t want to fight him as he screams and squirms his way out of the salon chair. Sometimes I let my kids eat corn dogs and cookies for dinner, because I am too tired to stand in the kitchen for an hour and cook. I am tired, sore, overworked and under appreciated. No my house isn’t always clean and my kids are probably a day over due for a bath, but you know what moms.. that’s okay, because they are happy, healthy, fed, sheltered and most importantly.. loved. Stop folding under the social pressure of society and comparing yourself to all the others. So what if their kid sold more Girl Scout cookies? Who cares if the dishes sit in the sink just one day longer. It happens!
We need to stop beating ourselves up and rejoice in motherhood! Breath for a little while and let it go. We constantly find ourselves running around like overworked robots expected to achieve miracles when most of us are running on just coffee and love. Give yourself a break. Cut yourself some slack. And enjoy motherhood while it lasts.
Just Another Hot Mess Momma 