Can we get it a little louder for the people in the back? Being a mom is sometimes the toughest thing. And most people go into it with eyes wide open, you know you are going to get sleepless nights, you know there will be diapers, but you didn’t fully understand those 3 am silences while feeding a new baby. You maybe didn’t realize just how guilty a person could feel for trying to do the right thing.
Perhaps you aren’t sure what the right thing is anymore.
Being a mother is a wild ride. But one that when you can, in the quiet moments, you should celebrate.
Appreciate
So as well as being appreciated, there might be some appreciating that you need to do yourself. While not everyone has the best relationships with their parents, you only have one set. And, it is always worth being the bigger person, even when it hurts, so that you can rest easy. You did everything you could do.
However, if you have a good relationship with your mom, it might just be time to do something to say thanks. Aside from just Mother’s Day, you should go the extra mile. Bake some cookies, or a lemon drizzle cake, pick up some flowers and go and say hi. If anything, now you have had children you might want to know why Mother’s day is celebrated?
Sprinkle a little appreciation in your day to day life.
Time
One of the reasons motherhood can be so tricky is because there is no pause button. While most people can leave the office behind them when they walk out the door, you don’t have that option. But you really do need to take some time out every once in a while, and those two hours in the evening between the kids going to bed and you going to bed isn’t going to cut it. You need to actively choose to take time out. And it isn’t an easy thing to do, but you have to remember you are still you.
Guilt
Mom guilt can be a massive struggle. You are out with friends, and suddenly you have this feeling you should just be at home in your loungewear on the couch – because at least if the kids get up, you will be right there for them.
You have gone back to work full time, and your babies are with a nanny, in daycare or with family during the days. And you feel guilty for not being with them. Remember that you are actually showing them that working is a healthy thing to do, that you are out there providing – both of which are the perfect role models.
You decided not to go back to work, and now you worry that your children won’t respect you when they grow up because you stayed at home to take care of them… rest easy, they will remember all of the wonderful things you did together, and you being there.
You
It is easy to lose who you are when you find yourself pushing a buggy along, with a bag filled with diapers and spare socks. But just know that along the way, the you that you were and the you that you are now meet in the middle. It’s called growth, and it, like motherhood, ain’t easy.
