I recently asked myself, as I looked at my messy house,
with clothes that seem to get halfway folded and never make it to
their designated drawers, and dishes that seem to be
always piled in both sinks...
I signed up for this?
What does it take to be a Mom?
Where is my instruction manual, and why on earth do I never feel good enough?
The unfortunate truth is that there is no manual.
There is no "right way".
I wake up at 530 and get my babies up, dressed and ready,
I proceed to pile three grumpy sleepy bodies in the car.
I double and triple check they have all they need, and because
I am so busy worried about them I tend to always forget everything I need.
Fair trade? I think so. I get out of the car every time I feel like I am
ready to put it in reverse because I forget a soccer ball that Bentley needs to hold,
or a Binky that Toot's spit out, and never forget her blankey
and as I drive out of the driveway I realize
that even though I remember to put our dog up, I completely left the front door open.
I then go to work, where my name is called a thousand more times, and fulfill the needs of my Doctor, Patients and my boss.
At this point I probably forgot my money or my lunch, so i'll munch on what I have in my snack drawer.
I get to pick up my babies after work, which is normally around their bed time
so they tend to be grouchy and moody when I get them. I try to still ask about their day and normally
get zero reply.
This is all fine though because these days will pass and one day we will
have amazing conversations about school and
homework. I look forward to these days
Night time is a lot worse than waking up.
They are grouchy and each of them want about
a thousand things each.
They all need my undivided attention and being
one person seems to not be enough.
I get them a quick dinner because, I
am not perfect and look forward to the quiet bubble bath
that I long for. I always put
my youngest down first. Cammy, who tends to cry a lot but I just smile and sing anyways
because I am certain (i hope) that this too will pass.
Next is Maddie, because she is upstairs with
Cammy and why not just go in order.
Maddie always wants
a story and she tends to not care what it is about
so I secretly cut hers short because her OCD brother needs
8 books read, and I really want my bubble bath (sorry Mads)
Bentley takes about 20 mins to get down,
being high maintenance he needs his
tickles, and read to and cuddle on.
Finally with all of the kids to bed I
look around and see my sinks full, laundry overflowing and
an empty tub that needs me in it.
At this point exhaustion has hit me
like a ton
of bricks.
There comes a time when I have to tell myself...
It's okay to not be perfect.
Some nights are worse then others.
IT'S OKAY.
Parenting 101.
-no one is in the same exact situation, refrain from comparing yourself to the perfect parents. They have flaws and so do you
-these precious babies are a blessing and a gift. They will remember your cuddles and tickles more than the toys on the floor or the laundry pile. You are not perfect all of the time. Stop that.
- Have fun. Stop being so serious all of the time. Run and jump in a puddle, act crazy, have fun with your babies they wont be this little all of the time. Be Silly.
-Laugh. There are times when one of the kids breaks something and they know I'll be upset, and when they are scared when you find it, they have beaten themselves up enough... just hug them and get the cleaning supplies.
Make up the list as you go!
Heres a little fun photo shoot :)
