As I prepare to return to work after maternity leave, I have been struggling to find balance and, sadly, seem to be focusing on my shortcomings as a mother, wife, friend, and worker. Then, in a moment of zen, I realized we must all have our highs and lows in motherhood. (Cue little light bulb above my head.)
Hey Mama, if you are perfect and never feel guilt, stress, or self-criticism, you just pipe down over there and stay in the corner, OK? For the rest of us, I decided to be really real and share some of my motherhood losses, but I’m also going to share some of my wins. I’d love to hear some of yours, too.
Please feel welcome to comment below or on social media. After all, we are all on the same team in this game called Motherhood, aren’t we?
(Photo by Alyssa Crawford Photography)
Chalk that one up to a loss…
My daughter is nearly three and just recently gave up her baby bottle 100 percent. Granted it was only occasionally at night for the past year and a half, but this has been painful and so challenging! We tried everything, but would eventually cave due to sheer exhaustion from hours of crying.
Winner, winner, chicken dinner…
However, she rocked it out at potty training, moving to her toddler bed, and forming complete sentences at an early age. She is sociable, kind, and says please and thank-you.
A swing…
My daughters’ dresser and closet are fairly well-organized.
And a miss…
I just noticed my two-month-old’s fingernails are absolutely disgusting. It looks like she has been gardening.
Fail…
Accidentally let an Alanis Morisette song get to the naughty words before turning it off while driving with my near-three-year-old.
Nice recovery…
Quickly changed it to Peaches by Presidents of the United States of America to which said near-three-year-old can now sing in almost it’s entirety.
Wah, wah, wah…
I feel guilty for working too much and returning to work after maternity leave is breaking my heart.
Ding, ding, ding…
I like the example having a career sets for my girls and it makes me more intentional with my days off. Saturdays are all about our time together.
Bummer, dude…
I will continue to make mistakes and be hard on myself because I want to be the best mom I can be. That’s all we really want as moms, isn’t it?
But isn’t life grand?
No matter what I love my daughters so much and I hope they remember always feeling that love in their lives. That’s one thing we can and should always do: Love our children. So let’s rock that part!
A HOUSE WITH CHARACTER 