Being a mom is exhausting, rewarding, life changing, challenging, and about a zillion other amazing things.Trying to keep up with a blog, prepare for family traveling to stay and meet your newborn, and starting a workout regime is nigh impossible. Which is where I'm currently living, right on the border of impossibilities and miracles.
Babies are demanding. Throughout all of the advice a pregnant woman receives before the baby arrives, it doesn't prepare you at all for what is to come. I could sit here and type away on the keys until my fingers fall off, but that's not why you're here, is it? No, that's not that this is about.
I wanted to take the time to talk with the mothers out there, the ones who haven't showered all week. The one's whose nipples are cracked and bleeding. The mother that formula feeds her baby, and is constantly being told that breast is best. The one who's losing sleep night after night because their little one is teething, going through a growth spurt, reverse cycling, colic-y, or just reusing to sleep more that forty minutes every three hours. The mother that has taken her family through many a drive thru all week long because she has no time or energy to make dinner.
You're doing a bang up job, and if anyone tells you otherwise, flash them a smile and shake their hand with yours covered in a mother's perfume (aka one or more of the following: poop, pee, spit up, snot, baby boogers, something sticky, you're not sure).
All too often, we're told what we should be doing and what is the best for our children. But when things are going the exact opposite as planned, it's harder than difficult. Then, because you don't have everything in absolute perfect condition, the judgment and criticism come rolling in. A lot of the time, it's comes from fellow women. And worse than other women, other mothers.
Why? Why is it okay to do that? Who gave you the right?
If we can all remember that at one point, we were all in shambles. We hoped the socks we put on were clean, we used dry shampoo for one too many days, we fed our kids peanut butter and jelly for all three meals, then maybe us moms wouldn't feel so judged and alone. We would know that there's no reason for us to be perfect, and it's okay that we have imperfections. In fact, it's what makes us who we are.
Show love to one another, and stop throwing so much shade at mother's who are at different levels of motherhood than you are. Being a mom is hard enough as it is, we don't need to fight each other.
