I’ve been wanting to write this post for a while & I am honestly so happy to be sharing the things I struggle with as a mom with you guys. I feel like sometimes we feel ashamed because we have these struggles, but honestly, I have learned that talking about my struggles & embracing the fact that I’m not perfect, has helped me in so many ways. I hope you all will read this with open minds & know that if you struggle with any of these, you’re not alone!
-Comparison
People aren’t lying when they say that comparison is the thief of joy. I can go from having a great day & feeling like supermom to questioning every parental decision I’ve ever made. That might sound dramatic but if you’re a parent, you know that it’s so easy to compare yourself to other parents. Especially with social media these days. I find myself looking at other moms & thinking, “how do they look so put together all the time!?” When you’re at home at 2 in the afternoon looking like a hot mess & your kids are still in their pajamas eating cereal off of the coffee table, it’s easy to compare yourself. I’ve finally learned that no one’s life is picture perfect. If anyone tries to claim that, they’re straight up lying to you! Every single human being has bad days & that is perfectly okay! So the next time you find yourself comparing your life or mothering skills to someone else, take a minute to look around & find the things that you’re thankful for. That might sound silly but whenever I think of all the great things in my life, it makes it easier to stop comparing myself & my life to anyone else.
-Guilt
Oh man, mom guilt is SO real. I honestly had no clue how bad it was until I had to stop breastfeeding Kannon at 8 weeks old. I don’t know why but the second you get pregnant or have/adopt a child, so many people take it upon themselves to tell you how exactly you should be raising said child. The amount of people that have told me how to raise my kids & how the things I’m doing are wrong, is absurd. If you’re a mom, you know exactly what I’m talking about! But guess what? We are all doing the best we can & as women, we should be encouraging each other & not tearing each other down. It makes me beyond happy to see all of these online mom communities popping up! (If you’re not part of one, let me know & I can send you the link to a really great one!) We feel enough mom guilt on our own so let’s stop making each other feel down about our choices & start embracing our differences. I promise that as cliche as that sounds, the support of other women can change our whole mentality & make motherhood the most amazing journey!
-Patience
I truly believe that patience is one of the hardest lessons of being a parent. You wouldn’t believe the amount of times I have to stop what I’m doing & take a deep breath to keep myself from losing my cool. I love my boys more than anything, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t test my patience. In fact, raising little humans requires the most insane amount of patience! Teaching them & guiding their lives so that they will become functioning adults is not an easy task. But in my opinion, being a parent is the most rewarding experience & worth every little moment of frustration. I’ve actually learned to appreciate a lot more of the little things in life. Stopping to smell the flowers (or admire everything we come across) actually makes you realize how beautiful life is & how lucky we are to live in this incredible world. Sometimes it just takes a bit of patience to get to that point of realization 🙂
-Time Management
I saved this for last because it’s probably the hardest thing I struggle with as a mom. I get asked ALL the time how I balance being a mom & run a small business at the same time. To be honest, it’s all still a work in progress! Most days I feel like a hot mess while trying to get work done AND be a good mom. I don’t have a nanny so every day is a constant struggle of making time for my boys & figuring out how to accomplish work tasks. Being organized has helped me balance both though & I think
I will do a full post on how I make time for it all. But for now, just know that my life is not perfect & if you ever need someone to vent/relate to, I am always here to chat! Being a mom is amazing & while we all struggle at times, surrounding ourselves with encouraging & supportive friends definitely helps 🙂